Ötzi the Iceman Field Trips

Our Human Inheritance, featuring Ötzi the Iceman

Museum Tour, DNALC in Cold Spring Harbor

In the fall of 1991, two hikers in the Ötztal Alps came upon the mummified remains of a 5,300-year-old man. Now preserved in a climate-controlled freezer at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Ötzi's body and accompanying artifacts provide a window into life in Europe during the Copper Age. The DNALC worked with the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology to make a 3D replica of the Ötzi the Iceman mummy that is now installed in the exhibit at the DNALC in Cold Spring Harbor.

Students will:

• take a tour of the exhibit;
• learn about Ötzi’s microbiome, medical and genetic history, and untimely death;
• see the world’s first reconstruction of a complete Neanderthal skeleton; and
• explore what we know about the history of our species using fossil and DNA evidence.

What DNA Says about Our Past and Future, featuring Ötzi the Iceman

Museum Tour, DNALC NYC at City Tech

In the fall of 1991, two hikers in the Ötztal Alps came upon the mummified remains of a 5,300-year-old man. Now preserved in a climate-controlled freezer at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Ötzi's body and accompanying artifacts provide a window into life in Europe during the Copper Age. The DNALC worked with the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology to make a 3D replica of the Ötzi the Iceman mummy now installed in the exhibit at the DNALC NYC in Brooklyn. At around the same time, from 1985-2016, scientists from the Leon Levy Expedition uncovered 2900-year-old graveyards in Ashkelon, Israel where ancient DNA has revealed evidence of human migration, and gene mixing in the middle east. See some of the artifacts found on this expedition, along with a life-size reproduction of one of the burials.  

Students will:

• take a tour of the exhibit;
• learn about Ötzi’s microbiome, medical and genetic history, and untimely death;
• see a life-size reproduction of a 2900-year-old Philistine burial; and
• explore how ancient DNA and artifacts from Ashkelon, Israel show that there was not only sharing of technology in the Bronze age, but also gene mixing among ancient populations.

DNA Extraction from Wheat Germ

DNA is a molecule inside the cells of all living things, including things we eat! In this lab students will follow a simple procedure to extract DNA from wheat germ.  Upon completion, they will have a visible DNA sample that can be collected and preserved.

Students will:

• review the structure of plant cells;
• follow a simple lab procedure;
• explain how DNA can be visible without a microscope; and
• collect DNA and make a keepsake necklace.

Pollen Tells a Story

Discovered in the Italian Alps in 1991, the 5,300-year-old mummy nicknamed Ötzi the Iceman has become an important source of information about the Neolithic. Still, there are many unanswered questions about his life and death. Discover how pollen in Ötzi’s digestive system was used as a forensic tool to track where he may have been in the final 36 hours before his untimely demise.

Students will:

• learn how to use a compound microscope;
• explore how pollen can be used to track an individual’s location;
• view and identify pollen types found in Ötzi’s body; and
• use pollen observations to estimate Ötzi’s movement in the days before he died.

Ötzi FURensics

Learn how forensic scientists analyze materials to understand ancient life and then use these techniques to examine Ötzi the Iceman’s clothes and gear. Using microscopes to analyze fabric, hair, and fur from different animals, identify which materials the Iceman sourced for his Neolithic wardrobe and toolkit.

Students will:

• learn how to use compound microscopes;
• view and identify hair types found on some of Ötzi’s clothes and gear; and
• interpret class data to draw conclusions about the origin of Ötzi’s clothing.

Better Milk for Cats

In this laboratory students will learn the interesting combination of genetics and culture that led to lactase persistence - the ability to digest lactose in milk - in humans. Next, they will build a “bioreactor” where the enzyme lactase can be used to remove lactose from milk, as is done in industry to produce some lactose free products.

Students will:

• create enzyme "beads" using sodium alginate and use them in a "bioreactor";
• observe the enzyme substrate reaction of lactase and lactose;
• understand the genetics behind lactase production and lactose intolerance; and
• test for the product of an enzyme-catalyzed reaction to demonstrate enzyme efficiency.