Indigenous Andean communities were the first to domesticate the starch-rich crop, turning it into a dietary staple long before potatoes spread around the world. Indigenous people in Peru today carry more copies of a gene involved in starch digestion than any other known population. How Potato Farming Shaped Andean EvolutionThe ancestors of Indigenous Andeans already possessed different numbers of AMY1 copies before settling in the highlands and domesticating potatoes. Once potatoes became an important food source, however, people with higher AMY1 copy numbers appear to have gained an evolutionary advantage. "It's not as if Indigenous Andeans gained additional AMY1 copies once they started eating potatoes.