Decoded Science

  • Home
  • Headlines
  • General Science
  • Applied Science
    • Calculations
    • Economics
    • Engineering
      • Aviation
      • Civil Engineering
    • Medical Science
      • Health
      • Neuroscience
      • Oncology
      • Veterinary Science
    • Political Science
      • Polling
    • Mathematics
    • Technology
      • Artificial Intelligence
      • Computing
      • Electronics
      • Gadgets
    • Social Science
      • Cognitive Science
      • Psychology
      • Sociology
      • Anthropology
        • Linguistics
  • Physical Science
    • Archaeology
    • Astronomy
    • Chemistry
      • Materials Science
    • Geoscience
      • Climate Change
      • The Environment
      • Geology
      • Meteorology
      • Oceanography
    • Life Science
      • Biology
        • Botany
        • Zoology
          • Marine Biology
          • Entomology
          • Microbiology
        • Paleontology
        • Ecology
    • Nuclear Science
  • Theoretical Science
    • Physics
    • Math Theory
  • About Us
    • Contact Decoded Science
    • Ask the Expert
    • Meet Our Experts
    • Meet Our Sponsors:
    • Browse All Articles
    • Subscribe
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use Agreement
  • Support Decoded Science

Investigating the 19th Century Irish Potato Famine with Ancient DNA

July 4, 2013 by Sarah Bearchell 1 Comment

Share6
+1
Share2
Pin
Tweet
Shares 8
Brown patches on potato leaves are the first sign of Late Blight disease. Image by Fk

Brown patches on potato leaves are the first sign of Late Blight disease. Image by Fk

Late Blight quickly spreads from the leaves into the potato tubers. Image courtesy of the Agricultural Research Service

Late Blight quickly spreads from the leaves into the potato tubers. Image courtesy of the Agricultural Research Service

How can you investigate historical plant diseases? It’s a tough proposition when your samples turned to slimy mush 150 years ago.

However, an international team of Forensic Plant Pathologists have used ancient DNA to unlock some interesting information about the potato disease responsible for the Great Famine.

The Great Famine was caused by a mixture of catastrophic plant disease and politics – and was responsible for about a million deaths due to starvation and a million emigrations from Ireland.

The country relied heavily on potatoes for food as they grew plentifully in the cool moist conditions. The dominant potato variety, ‘Irish Lumper’, had little genetic variety because the tubers were saved from one season to the next. Each crop was effectively a clone of the last, leaving it wide open to disease.

For the first three centuries of potato growing in Europe, the plants grew beautifully. They provided the people with a cheap and nutritious (if bland) diet. This changed with the arrival of the Late Blight pathogen, Phytopthera infestans. This oomycete fungus infected the leaves of the plant and thrived in the moist conditions.




Phytopthera infestans killed the leaves of the plant and spread into the tubers, infecting all the plants due to the lack of genetic variation. There was no treatment for the disease and the crop simply rotted in the field.

Potatoes remain a staple food and the economic importance of Late Blight means it is a well studied disease. In the last twenty years researchers have used rapidly-developing genetic methods to reveal more information about the pathogen strain which caused the Great Famine. Is it still out there? Is another devastating epidemic just around the corner?

Click to Read Page Two: Ancient DNA and Forensic Plant Pathology

Share6
+1
Share2
Pin
Tweet
Shares 8
Pages: 1 2

Filed Under: Botany, Headlines Tagged With: aDNA, agriculture, ancient DNA, environment, forensic plant pathology, fungal disease, Great Famine, herbarium, history of disease, Late Blight, plant pathology, pollution, potatoes, wheat

Decoded Everything is a non-profit corporation, dependent on donations from readers like you. Donate now! Your support keeps the great information coming!

Donation Information

I would like to make a donation in the amount of:

$500$200$100$50$20$10$5Other
Other:

I would like this donation to automatically repeat each month

Tribute Gift

Check here to donate in honor or memory of someone
Check here if this is a memorial gift
Name of person to be honored:
Send acknowledgement via email
Send acknowledgement via postal mail
Email Name:
Email:
Name:
Address:
City:
State :
Province:
Country:
Postal Code:

Donor Information

First Name:
Last Name:
Email:
Please do not display my name publicly. I would like to remain anonymous
Add me to your mailing list

Comments

  1. Vincent Summers says

    September 25, 2015 at 8:11 am

    The word politics in your article goes a long way toward explaining the immense number of deaths. But the famine itself and the DNA studies you mention make this topic a great one. I had a relative (I believe 3x-greatgrandmother) who came to Canada, and from there Pennsylvania, USA, due to an appeal for a blanket to the “Honorable” Lord Wandesforde of Castlecomer being snubbed. One stinking blanket. She had 7 children and herself to keep warm in winter. THIS is the kind of attitude that caused most of the deaths.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Connect with:
Facebook

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

About the Author

Sarah Bearchell, PhD

Dr. Sarah Bearchell has an MA in Biological Sciences from the University of Oxford, an MSc in Crop Protection from the University of Aberdeen/Scottish Agricultural College and a PhD in Agricultural Botany from the University of ... Read Full Profile

Follow Decoded Science

  • Facebook
  • Google+
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
signupheredailydosedecsciv2


Science Everyone's Talking About

  • Flu Symptoms: How You'll Feel if You Catch the Influenza Virus Flu Symptoms: How You’ll Feel if You Catch the Influenza Virus The symptoms of influenza are similar to other illnesse... under Headlines, Health
  • Weather Around The World, April 3, 2018 Weather Around The World, April 3, 2018 Garbage in space, orbit, and earthbound. And other news... under Headlines, Meteorology
  • Supercontinents, Mountains and the Great San Francisco Earthquake: Geoscience 12-18 April 2018 Supercontinents, Mountains and the Great San Francisco Earthquake: Geoscience 12-18 April 2018 Large-scale processes such as continental drift and ero... under Geoscience, Headlines, Weekly Features
  • Red Ants Reaction and Treatment: What is a True Allergic Reaction to Red Ants? Red Ants Reaction and Treatment: What is a True Allergic Reaction to Red Ants? Fire ants have a painful bite; the resulting swelling a... under Headlines, Health
  • Megafloods, Ocean Circulation and a Load of Garbage: Geoscience 22-28 March 2018 Megafloods, Ocean Circulation and a Load of Garbage: Geoscience 22-28 March 2018 This week there's an ocean theme, with news about the P... under Geoscience, Headlines, Weekly Features

Today's Most Popular Science Articles

  • Genetically Modified Organisms: Pros and Cons of GMO Food Genetically Modified Organisms: Pros and Cons of GMO Food
  • Introducing Math Symbols for Union and Intersection Introducing Math Symbols for Union and Intersection
  • Cross Multiply to Solve Equations with Fractions Cross Multiply to Solve Equations with Fractions
  • Which Chemical Bond is Stronger: Ionic vs. Covalent Bonds Which Chemical Bond is Stronger: Ionic vs. Covalent Bonds
  • Organ Harvesting, Human Trafficking, and the Black Market Organ Harvesting, Human Trafficking, and the Black Market
  • Introducing the Factorial: the Exclamation Mark of Math Introducing the Factorial: the Exclamation Mark of Math
  • Stomach Flu Cramps: Is There Anything You Can Do For Norovirus Symptoms? Stomach Flu Cramps: Is There Anything You Can Do For Norovirus Symptoms?

Copyright © 2018 · Magazine Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in

MENU
  • Home
  • Headlines
  • General Science
  • Applied Science
    • Calculations
    • Economics
    • Engineering
      • Aviation
      • Civil Engineering
    • Medical Science
      • Health
      • Neuroscience
      • Oncology
      • Veterinary Science
    • Political Science
      • Polling
    • Mathematics
    • Technology
      • Artificial Intelligence
      • Computing
      • Electronics
      • Gadgets
    • Social Science
      • Cognitive Science
      • Psychology
      • Sociology
      • Anthropology
        • Linguistics
  • Physical Science
    • Archaeology
    • Astronomy
    • Chemistry
      • Materials Science
    • Geoscience
      • Climate Change
      • The Environment
      • Geology
      • Meteorology
      • Oceanography
    • Life Science
      • Biology
        • Botany
        • Zoology
          • Marine Biology
          • Entomology
          • Microbiology
        • Paleontology
        • Ecology
    • Nuclear Science
  • Theoretical Science
    • Physics
    • Math Theory
  • About Us
    • Contact Decoded Science
    • Ask the Expert
    • Meet Our Experts
    • Meet Our Sponsors:
    • Browse All Articles
    • Subscribe
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms of Use Agreement
  • Support Decoded Science