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7000 BCE
The Origins of Maize
A study of genetics showed that maize holds many similarities to teosinte grass. This lead scientists to believe that teosinte grass was maize's wild ancestor, before humans began to domesticate it. -
4000 BCE
Selective Breeding's Effects on Maize
Over time, farmers domesticated and began planting maize. They also began practicing selective breeding-- a process used by humans to develop organisms with more preferable characteristics over time. This can be used in animals and in plants, to yield characteristics such as an increase in size, resistance to pests or better taste. Selective breeding in maize caused it to increase in size rapidly over time, starting at around 19 mm in 7000 BC, and growing to around 1 inch in 4000 BC. -
Maize Today
Nowadays, corn/maize is vastly different from how it originally was. Today, it's around 1,000 times bigger than its size back in 7000 BC. Along with continuous selective breeding, genetic enhancements have also been made to commercially grown maize, making it almost unrecognizable when compared to its ancestor.
