Ötzi, the mummified Stone Age man found in an Italian glacier nine years ago,
was thawed slightly for a few hours this week so scientists could take samples
of bone, teeth and internal organs for DNA analysis. They want to learn more
about his health, his diet, and possibly how he died. Research on the
5300-year-old corpse was delayed for years while Italy and Austria fought over
ownership. Italy won, and Ötzi is now housed at –6°C in a museum at
Bolzano in the Italian Alps. The man’s face was reconstructed using computerised
tomography, but few internal studies of his organs have been permitted
before.
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