Potatoes are the quiet chameleons of the culinary world. They slip onto our plates in every possible form—creamy mashed with gravy, golden fries next to a burger, baked with a dollop of sour cream, or ...

Turns out, one of the world's oldest staple foods may have done more than keep people fed.

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Potatoes come in different types, waxy or floury, the starch content of which matters depending on which kind of recipe you have.