In an experiment that literally no one asked for, scientists have successfully made sourdough bread using yeast harvested from the guts of a 5,300-year-old frozen mummy.
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As reported by CBS News, the yeast came from Ötzi the Iceman, the famously preserved prehistoric body discovered in the Alps on the border of Austria and Italy in 1991 — a man who died more than 5,000 years ago after being shot in the back with an arrow.
That means the yeast used to make this loaf is older than the Egyptian pyramids.
Researchers from Eurac Research in Italy – who have clearly never seen The Mummy and curses this sort of s**t can bring – were studying microorganisms found in and on Ötzi’s body when they stumbled across something unexpected.
The study, published in Microbiome, found four different types of cold-adapted yeasts living in Ötzi’s gut, skin and even in the brownish meltwater from his partially thawed remains.
According to scientists, these yeasts can only survive in freezing conditions like Antarctica, meaning they likely entered his body shortly after his death and have been along for the ride ever since.
Naturally, once scientists realised they had ancient yeast on their hands, there was only one logical next step: try to bake with it.
At first, it didn’t go well. “I’ve never baked bread before – and it showed,” lead study author Mohamed Sarhan said in a press statement.
But after three months of experimenting, the team cracked it.
The scientists described the bread as “very good” …urgh.
And it may not stop at bread. Beer could be next – Cheers to that!
“We see continuity here,” Frank Maixner, senior author of the study, said in a press statement. “These yeasts have accompanied Ötzi on his long journey through the millennia.”
As strange as the story sounds, the research could have serious uses too. Scientists discovered the ancient yeast can break down phenol — a chemical used to preserve Ötzi when he was first found — meaning it could potentially help clean contaminated environments in the future.
Still, let’s be honest: the real headline here is that someone looked at a frozen corpse from the Stone Age and thought, let’s make sourdough.
And somehow… it worked.
To learn more about Ötzi, check out the documentary below:
Featured image credit: YouTube/NOVA PBS Official (screenshot)
