Some Queens residents - including a prominent City Councilman - may play a key role in a worldwide research project to track the ancient migratory patterns of humans. The Genographic Project - a joint effort of National Geographic and IBM - aims to gather DNA samples from hundreds of thousands of people across the globe in an effort to find out more about who we are and where we came from.
Lured by the borough's diverse population and rich mix of cultures, scientists set up shop in Astoria during the recent 30th Ave. street fair.
One eager participant was Councilman Peter Vallone Jr., whose family has lived in Astoria for decades.
Councilman Peter Vallone, Jr.and residents join Genographic Project
Peter was disheartened to learn that his ancestry can be traced back one of the first graffiti artists at the catacombs of Rome and a guy who tested Da Vinci's flying machine by scaling and jumping off the Coliseum.
2 comments:
'...said Vallone, noting his family's Sicilian town had a big Greek population. "I'm pretty sure we have some Greek blood."'
That's a pretty naive statement considering most Sicilians probably have Greek blood. Sicily was colonized by the Greeks for centuries and if you go there you will find huge Greek infuences everywhere you go. Even the Sicilian dialect has Greek influence. It's actually an amazing place to visit.
Where's Dennis Hopper when we need him? 8)
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