EURAC, MARION LAFOGLERThe stomach bacterium Helicobacter pylori is found in humans the world over with distinct regional signatures in its DNA. An international team recently sequenced bacteria from the gut of a 5,300-year-old European man and, based on the strain of H. pylori that was present in the specimen, suggested that human migration from Africa to Europe occurred after the Copper Age. The results were published last week (January 7) in Science.
“Iceman,” or Ötzi, was first uncovered in the Alps in 1991. Since then, his well-preserved body has aided studies of ancient culture, clothing, and weaponry. Scientists initially thought his stomach was empty, yielding little information about human diet, but those examining Iceman’s anatomy revealed in 2011 that his stomach had been pushed unusually far up into his torso—they had previously been looking at his colon instead. Ötzi’s stomach was in fact full of ibex meat when he died.
In the current study, researchers led by Frank Maixner from the European Academy of Bozen/Bolzano (EURAC) sampled Iceman’s stomach contents and sequenced the bacterial DNA, looking for H. pylori. “The material was quite crumbly—it was like sand,” Maixner told STAT News.
Most modern Europeans carry a hybrid ...
