The Unexpected Origins of Potatoes and Tomatoes
Theycanbemadeintocrisps, chips, waffles, andallsortsofothertastyfoods-buthaveyoueveraskedyourselfwherepotatoescomefrom?
它們可以製成薯片、薯片、華夫餅和各種其他美味食物——但你有沒有問過自己馬鈴薯來自哪裡？
Ourguessisprobablynotandwedon'tblameyou, aswe'vealsobeenfartoobusyenjoyingthemtothinkanydeeperaboutit.
我們的猜測可能是沒有，我們也不會怪你，因為我們也太忙於享受它們而沒有時間去深入思考這個問題。
However, scientistsnowthinkthattheycouldhaveactuallyevolvedfromanearlytypeoftomatoplant.
然而，科學家現在認為它們實際上可能是從早期的番茄植物進化而來的。
Maybethathelpsexplainwhytomatosaucegoessowellwithchips.
這也許可以解釋為什麼番茄醬和薯條如此搭配。
Itwasalreadyknownthattomatoesandpotatoeswererelatedinsomeway, withtheirsimilargenesmakingthetwoplantseachother'sclosestlivingrelatives.
人們已經知道西紅柿和馬鈴薯有某種關聯，它們相似的基因使得這兩種植物成為彼此現存最接近的親屬。
Butscientistsdidn'tfullyunderstandhowthetubers-theediblepartsofmanyrootplantsthatgrowbeneaththesoil-hadcomeabout.
但科學家並不完全了解塊莖（許多根類植物在土壤下生長的可食用部分）是如何產生的。
Aftertakingacloserlookatthegenesofbothplants, thescientistsanalysedthegenomesofwildandcultivatedpotatoes, tomatoesandtheirancestorsandfoundthateachpotatospeciescontainsamixofgeneticsfromtomatoes.
在仔細研究了這兩種植物的基因後，科學家分析了野生和栽培馬鈴薯、番茄及其祖先的基因組，發現每種馬鈴薯都含有番茄的混合基因。
Theynowthinkthatwildtomatoes, whichgrewintheAndeanmountainsinSouthAmericaninemillionyearsago, crossedwithaplantcalledEtuberosum.
他們現在認為，九百萬年前生長在南美洲安第斯山脈的野生番茄與一種名為 Etuberosum 的植物雜交而成。
Aprocesscalledhybridisationtookplacewheretheirgeneticmaterialbecamemixedtoformanentirelynewspeciesofplant, whichiswhatledtopotatoesaswenowknowthem.
雜交過程發生了，它們的遺傳物質混合在一起，形成了一個全新的植物物種，這就是我們現在所知的馬鈴薯。
"TomatoisthemotherandEtuberosumisthefather," saidSanwenHuang, aprofessorattheAgriculturalGenomicsInstituteinShenzhen, China, wholedtheresearchteam.
「番茄是母親，而番茄是父親，」領導研究團隊的中國深圳農業基因組研究所教授黃三文說。
"Butthiswasn'tobviousatfirst."
“但一開始這一點並不明顯。”
TheresearchhasbeenpublishedinthescientificjournalCell.
該研究已發表在科學期刊《細胞》。
Theteamisnowhopingthatbyunderstandingthepotato'sevolutionmore, itcanhelpthemdevelopnewwaystobreeditinthefuture.
團隊現在希望透過進一步了解馬鈴薯的演化，幫助他們開發出未來培育馬鈴薯的新方法。
Understandingthemake-upofitsgenescanalsohelpthemknowhowtoprotectitbetterfromdiseases.
了解其基因的組成還可以幫助他們知道如何更好地保護其免受疾病的侵害。
They can be made into crisps, chips, waffles, and all sorts of other tasty foods - but have you ever asked yourself where potatoes come from?
Our guess is probably not and we don't blame you, as we've also been far too busy enjoying them to think any deeper about it.
However, scientists now think that they could have actually evolved from an early type of tomato plant.
Maybe that helps explain why tomato sauce goes so well with chips.
It was already known that tomatoes and potatoes were related in some way, with their similar genes making the two plants each other's closest living relatives.
But scientists didn't fully understand how the tubers - the edible parts of many root plants that grow beneath the soil - had come about.
After taking a closer look at the genes of both plants, the scientists analysed the genomes of wild and cultivated potatoes, tomatoes and their ancestors and found that each potato species contains a mix of genetics from tomatoes.
They now think that wild tomatoes, which grew in the Andean mountains in South America nine million years ago, crossed with a plant called Etuberosum.
A process called hybridisation took place where their genetic material became mixed to form an entirely new species of plant, which is what led to potatoes as we now know them.
"Tomato is the mother and Etuberosum is the father," said Sanwen Huang, a professor at the Agricultural Genomics Institute in Shenzhen, China, who led the research team.
"But this wasn't obvious at first."
The research has been published in the scientific journal Cell.
The team is now hoping that by understanding the potato's evolution more, it can help them develop new ways to breed it in the future.
Understanding the make-up of its genes can also help them know how to protect it better from diseases.
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