The Earth Mater 2011 team have successfully completed their scientific mountaineering expedition; led by Davide Paluzzi they trekked and climbed more than 151 km in the Himalayas to the remote Rolwaling Kumbu Valley (Everest region-area).
They were able to carry out extensive rock sampling; a Hermes Experiment on behalf of the INFN (National Institute of Nuclear Physics, Gran Sasso). Their press release also details how, ""the group had meetings with local people in the Rolwaling Valley for studies and research on shamanism and eating habits in high altitude villages of Na (4200m) and Beding (3600 m), to increase the data and samples of oral mucosa for the study of DNA genetics.