Ancient DNA Reveals Ötzi the Iceman’s Ancestry Was Unique Among Neighbors

quick Summary:

• A new analysis of ancient DNA from 15 individuals who lived in the Italian Alps around the same time as Ötzi the Iceman (5,300 years ago) shows that Ötzi’s genetic lineage was distinct from his neighbors.
• Researchers found that most of these prehistoric Alpine people had high proportions of Anatolian farmer ancestry (80-90%) and low hunter-gatherer ancestry, sharing similarities in paternal lineages with groups found in Germany and France.
• Ötzi displayed a unique paternal and maternal lineage, with his maternal line not found among other ancient or modern individuals analyzed, possibly indicating its extinction.
• While paternal lineages were broadly similar across Alpine males, maternal lineages showed diversity-suggesting women might have married into a close-knit group of men.
• Genetic traits revealed all studied alpine people likely had dark hair, brown eyes, and were lactose intolerant.

Indian Opinion Analysis:
This study provides broader insights into early human migration patterns and genetic diversity during the Copper Age in Europe-a period overlapping with India’s own Neolithic activities like agriculture development and societal conversion. It highlights how isolated communities like Ötzi’s can carry unique genetic markers separate from their neighbors despite environmental proximity, emphasizing cultural or migratory differences even within small regions. These findings remind us that India’s own diverse genetics-shaped by migrations over millennia-likely contain similar untapped stories awaiting discovery through advanced DNA studies on ancient populations across its plains to mountains.

Read More: https://www.livescience.com/archaeology/otzi-the-iceman-and-his-neighbors-had-totally-different-ancestries-ancient-dna-study-finds