New study says potatoes have tomato ancestor

Washington: You say potato, I saytomato? Turns out one helped create the other: Natural interbreeding between wildtomatoes and potato like plants i...

Washington: You say potato, I say tomato?

Turns out one helped create the other: Natural interbreeding between wild tomatoes and potato-like plants in South America gave rise to the modern day spud around nine million years ago, according to a new study published Thursday in the journal Cell.

Co-author Loren Rieseberg, a professor at the University of British Columbia, told AFP the findings point to a "profound shift" in evolutionary biology, as scientists increasingly recognize the role of ancient hybridization events in shaping the Tree of Life.

While it was once thought that random mutations were by far the biggest driver of new species, "we now agree that the creative role of hybridization has been underestimated," he said.

Simple, affordable and versatile, the humble potato is now one of the world's most important crops. But its origins have long puzzled scientists.