Archaeologica.org

Promises to be a more useful line of study than "how did he die."

http://www.alphagalileo.org/ViewItem.as ... ureCode=en

Ötzi has not been put on ice, on the contrary - things are hotting up for him! For the first time in his eventful history since his discovery almost twenty years ago, we now have access to the complete genetic profile of this world famous mummy. As a result the path is clear for an imminent solution to many of the puzzles surrounding the iceman.

Experts from three institutions have pooled their skills in order to map Ötzi’s entire genetic make-up: Albert Zink, Head of the EURAC Institute for Mummies and the iceman, together with Carsten Pusch, from the Institute of Human Genetics at the University of Tübingen and Andreas Keller from the bio-technological firm “febit” in Heidelberg.

For the first time in his eventful history since his discovery almost twenty years ago, we now have access to the complete genetic profile of this world famous mummy.

The news report is somewhat confusing. Scientists mapped Otzi's mitochondrial DNA (which passes from mother to female offspring) earlier and determined that he was a variant of mtDNA K-1. See: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/127631.php.

Now, taking a bone sample from Otzi's hip, they plan a full autosomal DNA workup (ie all 46 chromosomes at once). The new results will at least give an indication of which male line he came from by his yDNA markers. The entire autosomal genome will eventually be useful in analyzing a 3000bce individual, but so far there aren't any other ancient remains that have been given the same genetic workup. Hopefully, Supreme Commander Hawass will agree to let some of Egypt's royals be analyzed, but don't hold your breath waiting for a response.

I did think that this article had been translated from Italian to English ( and not well ) when I saw this line:

things are hotting up for him!

I guess we take what we can get, Cogs.

So, Cog….

You think he could be the son of a shepherd daughter caught up by a generation previous to him over the Alps trader?

Maybe picked up by Dad at a young age and taught the tricks and routes of the trade?

This guy is so much fun.
The more we learn the more we can guess about.