Relative Something

Color me surprised. Last night, unplanned, I stumbled across the PBS program, Nova, about the murder mystery of the 5,300-year-old iceman mummy, Ötzi. While watching the show, and expecting to find out about the mystery of whether or not he was murdered, I was flabbergasted by a revelation that I absolutely did not see coming.

They were talking about identifying his DNA and mentioned that there was one bit of the genetic sequence that wasn’t his.

Perhaps most surprising, researchers found the genetic footprint of bacteria known as Borrelia burgdorferi in his DNA—making the Iceman the earliest known human infected by the bug that causes Lyme disease.Iceman Autopsy

The Iceman had Lyme disease!? Really. If they can find it in him, why can’t they find it in all the people that are infected today?

I bet Ötzi’s insurance didn’t cover any long-term antibiotic treatments.