Now, a discovery hidden on his ancient body is giving scientists something entirely new to investigate. More than 5,300 years after Ötzi the Iceman died, his frozen body is still home to a surprising microbial world. As said in the new research, researchers were able to separate some of the microbes Ötzi carried when he was alive from those that arrived after his death. For the study, published in Microbiome, researchers analyzed ice from Ötzi’s surface, meltwater from inside his body and samples collected with swabs. Ötzi’s microbiome: Comparison of microbial communities found across the mummy, ice, water and surrounding soil.