Iceman may have been infertile

The prehistoric man discovered in 1991 on a glacier in the Alps had roots in Central Europe and may have been infertile, say Italian researchers.

Researchers at the University of Camerino used mitochondrial DNA removed and isolated from the contents of his mummified intestines to perform their analysis, the BBC reported Friday.

Oetzi, the prehistoric man, had been frozen in a glacier for 5,000 years, until hikers found him 15 years ago.

"We screened sites, which have been described by other scientists as being linked to other pathologies or environmental adaptations -- a couple of these sites have been described as being linked to reduced sperm mobility and we found both on Oetzi's mitochondrial DNA," Dr. Franco Rollo, of the University of Camerino told the BBC.

"We cannot say for certain that he was suffering from this -- reduced sperm mobility-- but there is a chance."

The study is published in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology.

Copyright 2006 by United Press International

Citation: Iceman may have been infertile (2006, February 3) retrieved 29 March 2024 from https://phys.org/news/2006-02-iceman-infertile.html
This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.

Explore further

Beef farming that keeps cattle on lifelong grass diets may have higher carbon footprint

0 shares

Feedback to editors