Turns out tomato sex is the reason we have one of life’s greatest foods: the modern potato. They’re hybrids of tomatoes and a non-tuberous potato ancestor called Solanum Etuberosum.
Thank you, horny little tomatoes.
Hat tip: @peteorrall
Turns out tomato sex is the reason we have one of life’s greatest foods: the modern potato. They’re hybrids of tomatoes and a non-tuberous potato ancestor called Solanum Etuberosum.
Thank you, horny little tomatoes.
Hat tip: @peteorrall
Natural interbreeding between wild tomatoes and potato-like plants in South America gave rise to the modern day spud around 9 million years ago, according to a new study published in the journal Cell. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/08/01/world/science-health/potato-tomato-heritage-study/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #worldnews #sciencehealth #potatoes #tomatoes #genetics #evolution