The origins of maize have long intrigued geneticists, but only recently have new molecular methods enabled evolutionary sleuths to pinpoint its origins and identify the genetic modifications (GMs) that enabled the radical transformation of teosinte into contemporary maize. (sciencemag.org)
In a dramatic example of the power of domestication, beginning some 9000 years ago people in Mexico and the U.S. Southwest transformed the unappetizing grass called teosinte into the many - kerneled maize that today feeds hundreds of millions around the world. (science.sciencemag.org)
Similarly, all ancient samples contained a pbf allele that is common in corn but rare in teosinte. (sciencemag.org)