For many years, the oldest human body ever preserved was believed to have been caucasian, but recent developments challenge this belief. As such, new DNA analysis reveals that the skin origins of the earliest preserved body might not have been Caucasian.
Iceman DNA Analysis
DNA analysis has improved over the years, and its new study on the famous Iceman mummy reveals new data that could alter long beliefs about the body. The new and improved analysis shows that the body might not be Caucasian.
The Iceman is a 5,300-year-old mummy that is known to be the oldest human body that was ever discovered intact. It can also be referred to as Ötzi, its nickname, and was found in 1991 in the Ötztal Alps in Italy.
The mummy is believed to be 46 years old, and a new study reveals he might have had dark skin and a bald head. Research from the Max Planck Institute in Germany released a study challenging the belief that he was Caucasian and hairy.
Johannes Krause, an evolutionary anthropologist from Germany's Max Planck Institute, shared a statement regarding the genome analysis of the Iceman and what it revealed. Per Krause, new analysis showed phenotypic traits like dark eye color, baldness, and high skin pigmentation.
The evolutionary anthropologist said that previous descriptions of the Iceman believed him to have light eyes, lots of hair, and light skin.
Study Into the Iceman
In 2012, the first genome study into the Ötzi took place and it revealed evidence of close relations to the Sardinians of today. Because of this, assumptions were drawn about how the Iceman came from eastern hunter-gatherers.
The study also assumed that he came from the fifth millennium, from the merger of Eastern and Caucasian hunter-gatherers. However, the new findings found no proof to support this ancestry, saying the Iceman was more closely related to Anatolia's Neolithic farmers.
The Iceman and his people were believed to have remained around the Alps in isolation and his ancestors could've mixed up dozens of generations before his time. His genome also reveals the types of food his people once ate, revealing it to be an agricultural diet.
They also found darker pigmentations compared to current European populations and risk alleles related to baldness in men. His hair was also believed to be black. According to Krause, the way the mummy was found was close to its initial appearance despite previous studies believing his hair was frozen for millennia.
The study authors also acknowledge that their new analysis of the singular individual still doesn't reveal enough about his population during his time. However, they were able to match the results to other ancient humans discovered in Italy.
The researchers also said they needed denser sampling from the Southern Alps to replicate their findings and discover whether the Iceman was a good representation of his population or if he had specialized traits and was an outlier.
RELATED ARTICLE: 8000-Year-Old Stilt Village Guarded by Spikes Found Submerged Under Ancient Albanian Lake
Check out more news and information on Environment and Climate in Science Times.
