Scientists Say Quinoa Can Solve World Hunger

We already knew that quinoa is considered a superfood, but now scientists think it can do more than elevate the grains in your typical salad bowl. Professor Mark Tester, of King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia, led the research team that hypothesized that quinoa is a "supercrop" that could be fully domesticated and re-introduced to impoverished nations.

Experts have discovered a way to manipulate the plant so it produces high yield and the seeds are sweeter instead of bitter. Tester and his team believe it could be further manipulated to be more commercialized than it is now.

"We already know that the quinoa plant family is incredibly resilient," Tester told Yahoo. "It can grow in poor soils, salty soils and at high altitudes. It really is a very tough plant. Quinoa could provide a healthy, nutritious food source for the world using land and water that currently cannot be used, and our new genome takes us one step closer to that goal."