Our love-hate relationship with the potato — and where it all began
The discovery is exciting for at least two reasons. One, it shows that genomes can help solve the mystery of how much of today's flora evolved — a significant breakthrough considering the rarity of plant fossils (soft vegetative matter doesn't preserve as well as, for example, the hard shells of marine invertebrates like snails). Two, it shows how looking to a plant's past may help preserve its future; the potato, it turns out, could only evolve because a key gene in the tomato unlocked the tuber-producing gene in the Etuberosum, with the resulting hybrid growing a new starchy organ that resembles the modern spud. Given its importance to food security — potatoes only rank behind rice, wheat and maize in global production volume — there are already attempts to use tomato genes to create even hardier varieties of the tuber.
Despite its wholesomeness and endless flexibility, adding heft, texture and flavour to cuisines everywhere since the Spanish shipped it to Europe in the 16th century, the potato has all too often been reduced to playing a supporting role in meals. In a world obsessed with limiting carbs, it has been vilified and villainised, held responsible for ballooning weights and expanding girths. Could the discovery of the Miocene-epoch romance, a random encounter that led to the birth of a food that can feed billions of the Earth's hungry, help rehabilitate its image? The world says potayto, genetics says tomahto.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News18
16 hours ago
- News18
Potatoes Came From Tomatoes? It Happened 9 Million Years Ago On This Continent
You may have heard that tomatoes and potatoes belong to the same plant family. But scientists have now uncovered a fascinating secret. According to new research, the humble potato, often hailed as the king of vegetables, actually evolved from tomatoes. A genetic study shows that tomatoes came first. Around9 million years ago in South America, a natural hybridisation between a wild tomato and a potato-like plant gave rise to what we now know as the potato. (News18 Hindi) These findings, published in the prestigious science journal Cell, are based on genome analysis of over 450 cultivated potatoes and 56 wild species. Researchers found that every potato variety contains DNA from both tomatoes and a lesser-known plant called Etuberosum, which played a key role in this natural experiment. (News18 Hindi) 3/6 Until now, it was believed that potatoes were directly linked to Etuberosum. However, this species lacked a critical feature, the tuber, which stores food underground. The new research reveals that the tomato family donated the SP6A gene, responsible for signalling the plant to form tubers. Etuberosum, in turn, contributed the IT1 gene, which controls tuber development. Without this genetic collaboration, the potato as we know it wouldn't exist. (News18 Hindi) Interestingly, this genetic fusion took place during a turbulent time in Earth's history, as the Andes mountains were still forming. The newly formed plant survived dramatic changes in weather and terrain. By storing food in its tubers, it adapted quickly and spread across diverse environments, from warm plains to freezing mountain valleys. (News18 Hindi) The potato also developed a unique ability to reproduce without seeds or pollen. A new plant could sprout directly from a tuber, making it independent of insects, seasons, or climate. This self-sufficiency allowed the potato to become one of nature's most resilient crops, capable of multiplying with minimal intervention. (News18 Hindi) These days, the potato is far more than a staple vegetable. It is one of humanity's most reliable food sources, rich in carbohydrates, fibre, potassium, and magnesium. Potatoes grow with less water, need little space, and emit fewer greenhouse gases compared to many other crops. (News18 Hindi)
Indian Express
17 hours ago
- Indian Express
Our love-hate relationship with the potato — and where it all began
French fries and tomato ketchup may be a match made in fast food heaven, but the meet-cute that changed the world occurred nine million years ago in the freezing cold of the Andean slopes. A recent study published in Cell has traced the origin of the beloved potato to another pantry essential, the tomato, and its fling with a wild potato species known as the Etuberosum. The research conducted by a team at the Agricultural Genomics Institute at Shenzhen, China, solves a mystery that has long gripped the world of botany: How is it that the potato plant, which bears a strong outward resemblance to its wilder relative, is genetically closer to the tomato? The discovery is exciting for at least two reasons. One, it shows that genomes can help solve the mystery of how much of today's flora evolved — a significant breakthrough considering the rarity of plant fossils (soft vegetative matter doesn't preserve as well as, for example, the hard shells of marine invertebrates like snails). Two, it shows how looking to a plant's past may help preserve its future; the potato, it turns out, could only evolve because a key gene in the tomato unlocked the tuber-producing gene in the Etuberosum, with the resulting hybrid growing a new starchy organ that resembles the modern spud. Given its importance to food security — potatoes only rank behind rice, wheat and maize in global production volume — there are already attempts to use tomato genes to create even hardier varieties of the tuber. Despite its wholesomeness and endless flexibility, adding heft, texture and flavour to cuisines everywhere since the Spanish shipped it to Europe in the 16th century, the potato has all too often been reduced to playing a supporting role in meals. In a world obsessed with limiting carbs, it has been vilified and villainised, held responsible for ballooning weights and expanding girths. Could the discovery of the Miocene-epoch romance, a random encounter that led to the birth of a food that can feed billions of the Earth's hungry, help rehabilitate its image? The world says potayto, genetics says tomahto.
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Pacific algae invade Algeria beaches, pushing humans and fish away
AI image ALGIERS: At a beach near Algiers, brown algae native to the Pacific Ocean cover the golden sand, posing a threat to ecosystems native to the area and their stench repelling swimmers at the peak of summer. Following a recent government call to help clear beaches swarmed by the seaweed species known scientifically as Rugulopteryx okamurae , several volunteers and charities have stepped in. "When it washes up, we can't swim," said Salim Hemmedi, a 43-year-old vacationer at a beach in Sidi Fredj, where volunteers raked up heaps of the plant. "We hope the situation will improve so that we can enjoy ourselves... and that children can swim in peace." The alga originates from temperate waters around Japan and the Korean peninsula in the northwest Pacific Ocean. It was first spotted in Algeria in late 2023, according to Lamia Bahbah, a lecturer and researcher at the National School of Marine Sciences and Coastal Planning. And lately, some have noted that it has been increasingly washed ashore. Youcef Segni, a marine engineer and biologist, said the algae proliferated at a significantly higher rate than in 2023 and 2024. "They invade the habitats of other algae in the seabed, which leads to the disappearance of some species," he said, adding that it can also displace some native fish. Fast reproduction In France, Spain and Portugal, the Rugulopteryx okamurae species has also been observed. Earlier this year, Spanish football club Real Betis introduced kits repurposed from seaweed to raise awareness about the issue. A 2023 study by the Marine Drugs journal said the alga's invasive character led to "a replacement of the native biota and an occupancy rate that reached almost 100 per cent in some locations" in Portugal. In Algeria, the plant has been spotted in at least three of the country's 14 coastal provinces, including the capital where 16 beaches are affected, authorities said. "Are the waters suitable for swimming? Yes," said Environment Minister Nadjiba Djilali during the cleanup campaign , adding there were no records of the plant causing allergies. Researcher Bahbah said stopping its proliferation was "unfortunately impossible at this stage". She said the plant reproduces at a high rate, both sexually and asexually. The species can reproduce through fragmentation, meaning new individual algae can develop from fragmented pieces of other Rugulopteryx okamurae algae. The algae spread mainly by clinging to the hulls of boats, and the Mediterranean's moderate temperature favours the seaweed's fast reproduction. "We are going to fight it," said Fella Zaboudj, a state engineer in marine sciences, adding that researchers were monitoring its spread, development and evolution. Zaboudj said research was also underway to determine whether the algae could be repurposed as fertiliser.
