Italy?s frozen mummy may have been sterile

New DNA analysis indicates that a 5,000-year-old mummy found frozen in the Italian Alps may have been sterile ? a hypothesis that would support the theory that he may have been a social outcast, officials said.

New DNA analysis indicates that a 5,000-year-old mummy found frozen in the Italian Alps may have been sterile – a hypothesis that would support the theory that he may have been a social outcast, officials said.

Franco Rollo, an anthropologist and ancient DNA specialist, also determined that the man’s genetic makeup belonged to one of the eight basic groups of DNA occurring in Europe. Although his particular DNA belonged to a subgroup that has been identified for the first time, officials added.

Rollo and his team carried out tests on mitochondrial DNA on tissue samples taken from the mummy in 2000 and found two typical mutations that are common among men with reduced sperm mobility, the statement said.

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While not all men with reduced sperm mobility are sterile, a high percentage are, the museum said.