BOLZANO, ITALY—A recent study of a DNA sample from the 5,300-year-old frozen mummy known as Ötzi the Iceman showed that his paternal genetic line, named G2a, is still present in modern populations. But a new study, conducted by researchers from the European Academy of Bolzano (EURAC), indicates that his genetic maternal line is now extinct. The researchers compared Ötzi’s ancient maternal line, named K1f, with 1,077 modern samples from the K1 lineage, including samples collected in the eastern Alps, which would presumably still be connected to the Iceman. An earlier study of Ötzi’s mitochondrial DNA compared it to only 85 modern samples, none of which came from the eastern Alps. The new study concluded that the Iceman’s lineage and any that might have been close to it have died out. Comparison of Ötzi’s genetic material with other European Neolithic samples suggests that his paternal lineage arrived from the Near East some 8,000 years ago, and was very common in Europe, while his maternal lineage probably originated in, and only existed in, the Alps. To read more about Ötzi the Iceman, go to “Heart Attack of the Mummies.”
