1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:06,800 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey 2 00:00:06,840 --> 00:00:10,040 Speaker 1: brain Stuff. I'm Lauren Vogelbaum, and this is another classic 3 00:00:10,119 --> 00:00:14,160 Speaker 1: brain Stuff episode. We as a culture are fascinated by 4 00:00:14,400 --> 00:00:17,560 Speaker 1: last meals. If you choose it, how do you choose 5 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:20,400 Speaker 1: if you don't, what does it say about your habits? 6 00:00:21,360 --> 00:00:24,319 Speaker 1: This episode concerns the last meal of the man that 7 00:00:24,360 --> 00:00:28,120 Speaker 1: would become the oldest natural mummy we've ever found, Otsi 8 00:00:28,320 --> 00:00:34,360 Speaker 1: the Iceman. Hey, brain Stuff, Lauren Vogelbaum. Here. You may 9 00:00:34,400 --> 00:00:36,960 Speaker 1: have heard of folks emulating the diets of our ancient 10 00:00:37,120 --> 00:00:41,599 Speaker 1: pre agricultural human ancestors for health and welfare, you know, paleo. 11 00:00:42,240 --> 00:00:44,919 Speaker 1: But thanks to recent research, we now have an actual 12 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:47,839 Speaker 1: ancient menu of sorts to follow the last meal of 13 00:00:47,840 --> 00:00:50,959 Speaker 1: Otsy a k a. The Iceman, a five thousand, three 14 00:00:51,040 --> 00:00:53,559 Speaker 1: hundred year old man whose frozen body was found by 15 00:00:53,560 --> 00:00:57,880 Speaker 1: German tourists in the Italian Alps back in. An international 16 00:00:57,880 --> 00:01:00,720 Speaker 1: group of researchers has conducted the first in depth study 17 00:01:00,720 --> 00:01:04,200 Speaker 1: of the contents of Otsi's stomach and small and large intestines, 18 00:01:04,280 --> 00:01:06,680 Speaker 1: as detailed in an article published in a July issue 19 00:01:06,720 --> 00:01:09,920 Speaker 1: of the journal Current Biology. They used a combination of 20 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:15,280 Speaker 1: multi omics studies involving different biomolecules such as ancient DNA, proteins, metabolites, 21 00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:20,080 Speaker 1: and lipids, plus microscopic examination to reconstruct the exact composition 22 00:01:20,120 --> 00:01:23,720 Speaker 1: of Otsi's food intake. Just before his apparent violent death 23 00:01:23,800 --> 00:01:26,800 Speaker 1: from massive bleeding caused by an arrow wound in his shoulder, 24 00:01:27,680 --> 00:01:30,399 Speaker 1: Otzi's stomach still contained a small amount of food that 25 00:01:30,440 --> 00:01:33,360 Speaker 1: he was in the process of digesting, including animal muscle, 26 00:01:33,360 --> 00:01:36,399 Speaker 1: fibers and plant fragments, as well as metabolic compounds that 27 00:01:36,480 --> 00:01:39,880 Speaker 1: indicated the presence of dairy products and whole grain cereals. 28 00:01:40,440 --> 00:01:43,759 Speaker 1: In addition to the chemical analysis, the researchers also analyzed 29 00:01:43,840 --> 00:01:46,480 Speaker 1: DNA they found in the food and studied bacteria in 30 00:01:46,520 --> 00:01:50,680 Speaker 1: Otsi's gastro intestinal tract. From that, they determined that Otsi's 31 00:01:50,720 --> 00:01:53,920 Speaker 1: last meal probably consisted of ibex and red deer meat 32 00:01:54,000 --> 00:01:56,720 Speaker 1: that he ate either fresh or dried, and fat from 33 00:01:56,760 --> 00:02:00,800 Speaker 1: grazing animals or dairy products supplemented with eincre a wild 34 00:02:00,800 --> 00:02:04,320 Speaker 1: species of wheat. Otsi's diet was high in fat, with 35 00:02:04,360 --> 00:02:07,480 Speaker 1: its residues making up between twenty seven and forty of 36 00:02:07,480 --> 00:02:11,120 Speaker 1: his stomach's contents. The researchers think that that wasn't by accident. 37 00:02:11,600 --> 00:02:14,520 Speaker 1: In the cold, high altitude environment in which Otsi lived, 38 00:02:14,720 --> 00:02:17,280 Speaker 1: it was a challenge to avoid starvation and energy loss. 39 00:02:17,639 --> 00:02:20,200 Speaker 1: The researchers wrote, the ice man seemed to have been 40 00:02:20,200 --> 00:02:24,560 Speaker 1: fully aware that fat displays an excellent energy source. Puzzlingly, 41 00:02:24,600 --> 00:02:28,760 Speaker 1: Otsi's stomach also contained particles of toxic bracken fern and mosses, 42 00:02:29,040 --> 00:02:31,680 Speaker 1: which may have come from plant material to wrap his meat. 43 00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:34,840 Speaker 1: Another possibility is that Otsi took the toxic fern as 44 00:02:34,840 --> 00:02:38,080 Speaker 1: a medicine for intestinal problems related to parasites found in 45 00:02:38,120 --> 00:02:41,840 Speaker 1: his gut. But we should mention that Otsy's diet may 46 00:02:41,840 --> 00:02:44,840 Speaker 1: not be demonstrative of the diets of his era. Ancient 47 00:02:44,919 --> 00:02:47,959 Speaker 1: hunter gatherers diets varied greatly according to the region where 48 00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:51,240 Speaker 1: they lived. While Otsi eight meat and grains, ancient people 49 00:02:51,240 --> 00:02:54,000 Speaker 1: in what is now Botswana got seventy of their calories 50 00:02:54,000 --> 00:02:57,280 Speaker 1: from carbohydrates and sugars in melons and starchy roots, for example. 51 00:02:57,760 --> 00:03:07,680 Speaker 1: Ancient diets were necessarily local. Today's episode is based on 52 00:03:07,680 --> 00:03:10,200 Speaker 1: the article O't see the iceman ate a high fat 53 00:03:10,280 --> 00:03:12,480 Speaker 1: last meal on how stuff works dot Com, written by 54 00:03:12,480 --> 00:03:15,480 Speaker 1: Patrick J. Tiger. Brain stuffs production of i heart Radio 55 00:03:15,520 --> 00:03:17,480 Speaker 1: in partnership with how stuff Works dot Com, and it's 56 00:03:17,520 --> 00:03:20,840 Speaker 1: produced by Tyler Klang and Ramsay Young. Four more podcasts 57 00:03:20,840 --> 00:03:23,000 Speaker 1: from my heart Radio. Visit the i heart radio app, 58 00:03:23,080 --> 00:03:25,760 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.