Microbes of ancient mummy found to still be alive more than 5,000 years later

(CNN) - New research is revealing surprising new details about a 5,300-year-old mummy.

Microbes inside Ötzi the iceman have stayed viable for thousands of years. Some could still be multiplying.

Ötzi’s remains were discovered by hikers in 1991 along the Austrian-Italian border, where glacial ice and freezing temperatures preserved him.

Research published in last week’s journal ‘Microbiome’ reveal trillions of microbes populated his body before his death and lingered long after, giving scientists a look at what the human gut looked like in the Copper Age.

This new research could also pave the way for new methods of storing and handling mummies.