Melbournians Discover Deep Ancestry:genographic Project Swabs Former Afl Players 1

Melbournians Prepare to Find out their 'Deep Ancestry'

Former AFL Players and Olympic Gold Medallist Among the First to Participate this Wednesday

Media call: Wednesday 12.30pm at Sports House, Albert Park;
and Sunday at 10 am at Bio21, 30 Flemington Road

Melbourne is one of the most diverse cities on the planet and now a cross-section of the Melbourne population will find out where they came from going back 2,000 generations. Four of Melbourne's former AFL stars and an Olympic Hockey gold medallist will be among the first to participate in the project.

Their 'deep ancestry' will be revealed through National Geographic's Genographic Project.a global study which has already involved more than 350,000 people around the world exploring where they came from up to 60,000 years ago.

The four former AFL Players participating are: indigenous player Cory McGrath (Carlton), Steve Alessio (Essendon), Mark Porter (North Melbourne and Carlton), and Rayden Tallis (Hawthorn) along with Olympic hockey gold medallist Claire Mitchell-Taverner. They join other Melbourne identities, including Rev. Tim Costello of World Vision who have volunteered to participate ahead of the 'mass' public cheek swabbing this Sunday.

On Sunday 4 October from 10am-2pm, the first 100 people at the Bio 21 Institute, Melbourne University, 30 Flemington Road, Parkville will receive a FREE cheek swab valued at $135. Additional kits will be available at cost (participants must be aged over 18 years or have parental consent - limited to one free swab per family). www.nationalgeographic.com/genographic

The mass 'swab-a-thon' is presented as part of Evolution the Festival, a year of science-based activity to celebrate Darwin's anniversaries.

What: Preview 'cheek swabbing' for The Genographic ProjectThe Journey of Your Genes as part of Evolution the Festival celebrating Melbourne's diversity

Who: Four former AFL stars and an Olympic gold medallist will be swabbed by Professor Philip Batterham, Melbourne University, Chairman, Evolution The Festival, who will be available for interview

When: Wednesday 30 September 2009 at 12:30pm

Where: AFL Players' Association Sports House, Level 2, 375 Albert Rd, Albert Park

Resources available: Overlay footage from new National Geographic documentary The Human Family Tree which looks at diversity in Queens, New York; Genographic Project swab kit journalists can be swabbed and participate; still images

CONTACTS:
Niall Byrne 03 9398 1416, 0417 131 977 mailto:[email protected]
Minta Burn, Momentum2 02 9331 3577 mailto:[email protected]
Dr. Pippa Grange, AFL Players' Association 03 9926 1344 mailto:[email protected]

SOURCE: Momentum2