If one thing is for certain, America currently does not appreciate the potato as much as Ireland did in the 1800s. Even now, many Americans do not consume potatoes because they are worried about eating too many carbohydrates and getting fat. The Irish had a different perception of the potato. They saw it as something that could be mass produced with little labor. This was important for the Irish because their population grew from 3.5 to 8 million in the matter of a century. The potato combined with milk—and sometimes cabbage and salt—provided the Irish with all the essential nutrients to stay healthy. The potato was adapted and largely grown because of its’ ability to grow in cool, moist conditions.

When three-quarters of potatoes was lost to blight, the Irish began experiencing widespread starvation, diseases, and emigration. This killed around one million of the population, and another million emigrated from Ireland—largely to North America. In 1847, the United States responded to the massive wave of Irish immigrants by increasing the cost of passage. The United States also began confiscating ships that were overcrowded. The pathogen that cause this disaster is known as phytophthora infestans. This originated from Mexico by the HERB-1 strain of phytophthora infestans and spread through potatoes carried on ships to North America and Europe.

In March of 2017, scientists created three genetically modified potatoes resistant to potato blight and approved by the FDA and EPA. These genetically modified potatoes contain genes from the Russet Burbank, Ranger Russet and Atlantic potatoes. It should be noted that only potato genes were used to create this new potato. There have been no potential harms found associated to the genetically modified potato. However, some people have found ethical issues in eating something that has been genetically modified.

Scientists are now genetically editing foods rather than genetically modifying them. Gene-editing is when DNA is essentially cropped—as in part of the DNA are removed. Gene-modification is when new genes are introduced to and grow into DNA. I believe people will be more open to the idea of gene-editing compared to gene-modification because nothing is being added. Thus, there is less of a likelihood of genetic disruption because there is more control in where to cut the DNA rather than trying to insert a new gene. These ideas are still being developed and I am excited to see where they go in the future and how society reacts to them.

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