Potato's Evolutionary Mystery Solved: A 9-Million-Year-Old Hybrid
2025-08-10
A new study has solved the mystery of the potato's origin. Researchers discovered that potatoes are the result of a hybridization event approximately nine million years ago between ancestors of modern tomato plants and another group of relatives called Etuberosum. This hybrid possessed the ability to form underground tubers, leading to rapid diversification and the over 100 potato species we know today. Crucially, the study found that tuber formation required specific genetic information from both parent species. Published in Cell, this research sheds light on plant evolution and how we might leverage the genetic diversity of wild potatoes to address climate change challenges.