But it requires all of these conditions to be met.

The probability of another Ötzi-quality find is uncertain.

The probability of finding such a body and failing to preserve it because the response was too slow is higher.

This is one of the areas where the Ötzi research program has had genuine practical impact on archaeological practice: the development of protocols for responding to ice finds, the training of field personnel to recognize and respond appropriately to such discoveries, and the establishment of networks between research institutions that could be mobilized quickly if a new find is made.

The voice Ötzi has given to the Copper Age — the specific, individual voice of a specific person who lived and died in the Alpine world five thousand years ago — might be joined by other voices from other times and places if the conditions for preservation and discovery are again met.