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The initial results from the expedition to be presented in October at the “Terra Madre 2010” in Turin 

Marco Polo 2010: it’s time for preliminary data


25.10.2010 -

The Marco Polo 2010 expedition along the Silk Road came to a close last Sunday when the travellers arrived at the airport in Trieste. The research team travelled approximately 14,000 km and visited seven nations where they collected over 700 samples for studies on population genetics and the genetics of taste.

 

The project, aimed at analyzing the genetic and cultural characteristics of the people living along the Silk Road, was conceived and realized by the IRCCS Burlo Garofolo, Sissa Medialab and the Terra Madre Foundation, in collaboration with the Autonomous Region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, AREA Science Park, and the Department of Reproductive Sciences and Development at the University of Trieste. With the travel phase complete, Marco Polo 2010 is now delving into a more scientific arena: data analysis, which the researchers at the Medical Genetics Laboratory at Burlo Garofolo Hospital and CBM have already begun.

 

"Already," explains Paolo Gasparini, scientific director for the project, "we are seeing very interesting results. The initial calculations seem to confirm our experiences in the field, namely, that from Azerbaijan onward there is a much higher percentage of people who are supertasters according to the bitter test, which means they are extremely sensitive to bitter tastes. This type of test focuses on the genes that affect taste and from which our food preferences derive. In the Pamirs, for example, we found 37% of people to be supertasters, an extremely high number given that the average recorded in Europe ranges from 7 to 15%. This may explain why these populations prefer a cuisine dominated by sweet flavours".

 

The populations encountered were also studied using audiometric and colour perception tests and by observing physical features. "Beyond the raw numbers," stresses Pio D'A damo, a biologist specialized in applied genetics, "we are particularly pleased because we have created a network of contacts in the countries we travelled through that will enable us, if necessary, to enlarge the number of samples for analysis.

 

In Trieste we have uploaded almost all the data and now three colleagues are completing the forms and integrating all necessary information. The preliminary data could be ready in time for Researchers' Night in Trieste on September 24".In any case, there will be a more extensive public presentation of the expedition, its objectives and results including films and photographs at the "Terra Madre2010" in Turin, coinciding with the international Slow Food fair " Salone del Gusto" from 21 to 25 October.

 

The definitive presentation of the expedition's results to the scientific community will instead take place at a conference organized in Spring 2011 together with the Academy of Sciences of the People's Republic of China.Travel journals, photos and videos are available on the website, www.marcopolo2010.it.Marco Polo 2010 enjoys the support of Domori, Eppinger, Pool Pharma and Meta Mondo, who also provided technical support in organizing travels. Additional collaborators include Canon Italia and Cividin viaggi. The Municipality of Trieste and the Italian Pavilion at the 2010 Shanghai Expo provide sponsorship.

 

Thanks also go to: Consorzio di Biomedicina Molecolare - CBM, the Italian Embassy in Azerbaijan, the Italian Embassy in Kazakhstan, the Italian Embassy in Turkmenistan and the Italian Embassy in Uzbekistan.

 

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