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Article: Through the eyes of a potato: scientists hunt a better-bred spud, while the earthy vegetable keeps on giving. (includes related article)
- Article from:
- Science News
- Article date:
- July 2, 1988
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1988 Science Service, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Through the Eyes of a Potato
Consider the potato ... if only for the time it takes to microwave one into soft submission. Unpretentious and modestly dressed, this tuber is taken for granted and occasionally maligned. Since humans began eating its wild ancestors more than 8,000 years ago, the domesticated potato has sustained the Inca civilization, attracted the wrath of Scottish clergy for being evil, and lent its name to "couch potatoes" who spend the day in a vegetative state.
Sometimes called aphrodisiac, other times poison, the South American native had to overcome a bad image in Europe and elsewhere. Royalty, including Catherine the Great and Marie ...