The History of The Irish...Worldwide
Mystery of Irish Potato Famine Solved
The Irish potato famine that caused mass starvation and approximately 1 million deaths in the mid-19th century was triggered by a newly identified strain of potato blight that has been christened "HERB-1," according to a new study.
An international team of molecular biologists studied the historical spread of Phytophthora infestans, a funguslike organism that devastated potato crops and led to the famine in Ireland. The precise strain of the pathogen that caused the devastating outbreak, which lasted from 1845 to 1852, had been unknown.
"We have finally discovered the identity of the exact strain that caused all this havoc," study co-author Hernán Burbano, a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Germany, said in a statement.
Read the rest of the article HERE.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Rose Maurer on
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As a complete outsider, reading the various replies, it is clearly evident that such strong anti-British emotions (for numerous, and doubtless, in some/many instances sound reasons) about the cause of the horrendous starvation and subsequent deaths will not readily (if ever) be mollified by scientific findings. These replies gave me more insight than any published History paper would, because they come from the heart, but chronic bitterness tends to consume one, and live in the past, rather than enjoying the present and looking forward to the future. However, as no doubt many people will think, "What does she know, she isn't Irish?".
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Permalink Reply by Ryan O'Rourke on
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Thanks for this info and the link to the article, Joe!
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