Ötzi the Iceman’s DNA Reveals a Living Relative 5,000 Years Later
28th March 2026
In 2008, genetic researchers studying Ötzi’s mitochondrial DNA concluded that his direct maternal lineage was extinct. No living person appeared to share the same genetic signature. The conclusion was blunt and widely cited: it was highly unlikely that Ötzi had any living maternal relatives.
That assumption has now been overturned.
Through modern genetic genealogy, FamilyTreeDNA researchers have identified a living man whose maternal DNA traces back to the same ancient lineage as Ötzi, reconnecting a family line believed lost for millennia.