Humans in the Andes Have Evolved a Strange Digestive Superpower

New research suggests Indigenous Quechua people in Peru carry extra copies of the AMY1 gene, which helps produce amylase for starch digestion.

Across genomes from 85 populations, the Quechua showed a higher median AMY1 copy number than most other groups.

Researchers say the pattern likely reflects long-term natural selection in the Andes, where potatoes became a staple food.

The findings add strong evidence that human diets can shape genetic evolution over thousands of years.