The modern potato exists thanks to a 9-million-year-old hybrid between tomato-like and potato-like plants. Credit: Shutterstock ========================================================================== Scientists have finally uncovered the ancient secret behind the potato’s origin—and it involves an unexpected genetic romance. About 9 million years ago, a wild interbreeding event occurred between a tomato-like plant and a potato-relative in the Andes. This rare hybridization gave rise to the first tuber-forming plants. Ancient Hybrid Sparked the Potato’s Origins An international team of scientists has discovered that the modern potato originated from a natural crossbreeding event between tomato plants and potato-like wild species in South America around 9 million...