VEECUBED community: Scientists trace 19 living relatives of Ötzi the Iceman whose 5,300-year-old body was found frozen in the Alps

Austrian scientists tested the DNA of 3,700 male blood donors in Tyrol
They matched a genetic mutation to the mummy found back in 1991

Scientists in Austria have found 19 living descendants of a prehistoric iceman whose 5,300-year-old body was found frozen in the Alps.

Researchers from the Institute of Legal Medicine at Innsbruck Medical University took DNA samples from blood donors in Tyrol in the west of the country.

They managed to match a particular genetic mutation with that of Ötzi, whose body was discovered back in 1991.

Descendants: Scientists have found 19 living relatives of Ötzi the Iceman who was found frozen in the Alps

It's all relative: The prehistoric iceman had a genetic mutation which matches those whose DNA was sampled in Austria
Experts now believe that the same mutation might also be found in the nearby rgions of Engadine in Switzerland and the South Tyrol region of Italy.

According to the BBC, Walther Parson from the university, said: 'We have already found Swiss and Italian partners so that we can pursue our research.'
DNA from around 3,700 blood donors were analysed and the men were also asked to provide information on their ancestry.

None of the donors have been informed that they are distantly related to Ötzi.

Since the body was found frozen under the Alps two decades ago, scientists have conducted experiments to learn how he came to be buried between the Austrian and Italian borders more than 5,300 years ago.