Human evolution and the humble potato

Posted August 28, 2026

You might think you know how to eat a potato – smothered in butter and sour cream, crisped into a chip, or fried into a tender, salty stick. But new research published this past summer reveals the true potato experts: indigenous populations from the Peruvian Andes, where thousands of varieties of potato are grown today. The region has a long history with spuds. Indigenous Andeans shaped the evolution of potatoes by domesticating them more than 6000 years ago. And it now appears that the potato, in turn, has shaped the evolution of the people that first cultivated these root veggies.

Read more »  |  Read other Evo News stories