Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by If You Shea Show on February 18, 2011 at 7:40am

how did they figure his eye color?

Permalink Reply by Rob van Senten on February 18, 2011 at 8:20am

Genetics, eye color is a result of your DNA.

 

So I would presume that they have found enough DNA to find the markers that are associated with brown eyes.

Permalink Reply by Dr. Terence Meaden on February 18, 2011 at 9:31am

Information about Otzi's DNA can be found in the paper "Complete mitochondrial genome sequence of the Tyrolean Iceman" Current Biology (2008) vol. 18, 1687-1693. (Paper by Franco Rollo et al)

There we find that Ötzi's DNA belongs to the K1 cluster of the mitochondrial haplogroup K that has not been identified in modern European populations (115 existing K lineages were compared with it).  This is the oldest complete Homo sapiens mtDNA genome generated as yet. 

Otzi died aged about 45 some 5350 to 5100 years ago. 

Permalink Reply by John Jubinsky on February 18, 2011 at 3:01pm

From Oetzi's DNA scientists had been working on what physical traits he must have had. Per the April 2010 article below:

"Now, those scientists must decipher the genetic traits – such as diseases and eye color – indicated by the order of the base pairs of Oetzi’s DNA".

http://asunews.asu.edu/20100826_stone