> From: JoAnn Betten <[log in to unmask]>

> corn was domesticated around 3500-1500BC in America (p. 142, _Guns, Germs
> and Steel_, by Jared Diamond, a really good book, btw).  this is too recent
> to really allow for genetic adaptation.

That argument doesn't really convince me. Tomatoes are also recent in
human history, but aren't toxic.
Perhaps humans are genetically adapted to fruits which are close enough to
tomatoes, but not to grains. Or perhaps corn is extremely selected (modern
corn is very different from wild corn).

> i beleive it is because the wild potato is toxic, so would have been
> unedible by paleo-humans.

I have never seen a wild potato, but I think that solanin is located in
teh eyes and just under the skin. So, if you peel your potatoes, they
shouldn't be toxic.

JL