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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Science
Ivana Drobnjak O'Brien

‘This wasn’t obvious’: the potato evolved from a tomato ancestor, researchers find

Scientific illustration of the two types of plant, Solanum etuberosum and Solanum tuberosum, where one has large tubers growing instead of typical roots
Above ground, they may look similar, but it is the starchy tubers than make potatoes such a popular crop. Photograph: Yuxin Jia and Pei Wang

When it comes to the senses, there could not be a greater difference between Friday night chips and juicy Mediterranean tomatoes.

However, scientists have discovered that these two foods are not so far from each other after all. Landmark research has found the potato evolved from a tomato ancestor nearly 9 million years ago.

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