Hikers discovered Ötzi’s frozen body in the Alps in September 1991. The ice had preserved his body remarkably well, turning him into a natural mummy and making him a rich source of information about life in the Copper Age. He was found with a lot of clothing and accessories: hat, leggings, jacket, loincloth, and shoes, along with a grass cloak, quiver, and tools. Scientists extracted animal DNA from various items discovered on the body, which allowed them to discover exactly what they were made from. In a study published today in Nature Scientific Reports, they discovered that some of the material came from wild animals. This is difficult to do: the material is old and has been processed so much that little of the original DNA remains.

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