Ötzi's non-human DNA: Opportunistic pathogen discovered in Iceman tissue biopsy
Tuesday, July 15, 2014 - 09:30
in Biology & Nature
Ötzi’s human genome was decoded from a hip bone sample taken from the 5,300 year old mummy. However the tiny sample weighing no more than 0.1 g provides so much more information. A team of scientists analyzed the non-human DNA in the sample. They found evidence for the presence of Treponema denticola, an opportunistic pathogen involved in the development of periodontal disease.