why did you chose potatoes? – Crystallography Zone

Question: why did you chose potatoes?
- Keywords:
  personal,
  research,
  work
Asked by ellerayn to Sam, Dave, Ben on 19 Jun 2013.
- Sam Horrell answered on 19 Jun 2013:
  
  They are a delicious side dish to many meals, and they’re so versatile. Boil them, mash them, stick them in a stew. Also chips may be one of the best things we have ever invented.
- Benjamin Hall answered on 19 Jun 2013:
  
  As Sam said, they’re tasty.
  
  I wouldn’t necessarily say I chose potatoes. The reason I work on them is that I became incredibly interested in plant pathogens and things they produce called ‘effector proteins’. Now out of all the effector proteins, one group of them that really sticks out is the RxLR family effectors produced by a type of organism that infects potatoes, called Phytophthora infestans. To truly understand Phytophtora you need to understand how it interacts with its host… which is why I ended up with potatoes!
- David Briggs answered on 19 Jun 2013:
  
  Because chips. Obviously 🙂

Question: why did you chose potatoes?