Scientists find yeast in frozen mummy's guts, use it to make bread
Scientists have discovered yeast in the gut of Oetzi the Iceman, a frozen mummy over 5,300 years old. They successfully used this ancient yeast to create sourdough bread after extensive experimentation. The findings reveal that Oetzi's body hosts living microorganisms that provide insights into ancient human life and microbiomes.
- ▪The yeast discovered in Oetzi's gut can survive sub-zero temperatures and is believed to have entered his body shortly after death.
- ▪The research team successfully reproduced the gut yeast and created a sourdough loaf after three months of effort.
- ▪Analysis of Oetzi's microbiome revealed gut bacteria that are nearly absent in modern humans but found in some indigenous tribes.
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World Scientists find yeast in frozen mummy's guts, use it to make sourdough bread June 3, 2026 / 9:41 AM EDT / CBS/AFP Add CBS News on Google Yeast has been growing in the guts of a frozen mummy called Oetzi the Iceman for thousands of years, scientists have discovered, telling AFP they used it to make a sourdough bread.More than 5,300 years ago — before the Egyptian pyramids were built — Oetzi was strolling through the Alps on the border of Austria and Italy when he was killed by an arrow in the back.He remained frozen in the ice until two German hikers stumbled across his mummified remains in 1991 in the northern Italian region of South Tyrol.Since then, his stunningly well-preserved remains have been kept at the same temperature — minus six degrees Celsius — as his icy tomb.This has…
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