Scientists point to Andes potato pathogen as origin of Irish famine

It was a disaster that killed about 1 million people, devastating 19th century Ireland, but while the potato disease linked to the Irish famine is well known, a battle has raged over where it originated. Scientists have long been divided over whether the fungus-like pathogen Phtytophthora infestans cropped up in the Andes or originated in Mexico. Now one team of researchers say the question is settled after conducting what they describe as one of the largest whole genome studies of the microbe and its close relatives – with the results supporting a South American origin. “This is how science works.

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