Study: Indigenous Andeans evolved extra starch-digesting genes after domesticating potatoes 10,000 years ago
By
Sophie Berdugo
Crispy enough to crunch, soft enough to enjoy. A good bake.
Summary
A new study published in Nature Communications found that Indigenous Andeans in Peru have more copies of the amylase gene (which produces starch-digesting enzymes in saliva) than any other population worldwide. This genetic adaptation is attributed to natural selection following the domestication of potatoes in the Andes around 10,000 years ago, allowing them to digest potatoes and starches more efficiently than other populations.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledIndigenous Andeans in Peru may be able to digest potatoes and other starches more easily than anyone in the world, a new study finds.
Scientists discovered that Indigenous Andeans have more copies of the gene for saliva-based starch digestion enzymes — called amylase — than any other population worldwide.
Natural selection drove the surge in amylase genes following the local domestication of potatoes around 10,000 years ago, according to the study published May 5 in the journal Nature Communications.
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