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Activity for Popped Secret: The Mysterious Origin of Corn

Topic
  • Genetics
  • Gene Expression & Regulation
  • Anatomy & Physiology
  • Plant Anatomy & Physiology
  • Evolution
  • Artificial Selection
Resource Type
  • Activities
  • Film Activities
Level
High School — GeneralHigh School — AP/IBCollege
Used In
1 BioInteractive Playlists
Favorited By
18 Users
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Description

This activity explores how scientists determined how and where corn was domesticated, as discussed in the short film Popped Secret: The Mysterious Origin of Corn.

In this film, evolutionary biologist Neil Losin embarks on a quest to learn about the origin of maize, or corn. Although the wild varieties of common crops, such as apples and wheat, look much like the cultivated species, there are no wild plants that closely resemble maize. As the film unfolds, it shows how geneticists and archaeologists have come together to unravel the mysteries of how and where maize was domesticated nearly 9,000 years ago.

The “Student Handout” probes students’ understanding of the key concepts addressed in the film. The “Educator Materials” document provides suggested pause points in the film with questions for students, background information, and detailed discussion points; a list of related resources and references; and an answer key for the “Student Handout.”

Student Learning Targets
  • Describe the process of artificial selection and how it differs from natural selection.
  • Describe how scientists use DNA sequences to estimate when populations diverged.
  • Explain why changes in just a few regulatory genes can have a dramatic effect on traits.
     
Details
Estimated Time
Two 50-minute class periods.
Key Terms

archaeology, crossbreeding, domestication, maize, Mexico, microfossil, selective breeding, teosinte

Primary Literature

Beadle, George W. “The ancestry of corn.” Scientific American 242, 1 (1980): 112–119. https://doi.org/10.1038/scientificamerican0180-112. 

Doebley, John F., Adrian Stec, Jonathan Wendel, and Marlin Edwards. “Genetic and morphological analysis of a maize-teosinte F2 population: Implications for the origin of maize.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 87, 24 (1990): 9888–9892. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.87.24.9888.

Doebley, John F., Brandon S. Gaut, and Bruce D. Smith. “The molecular genetics of crop domestication.” Cell 127, 7 (2005): 1309–1321. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2006.12.006. 
 

Terms of Use

Please see the Terms of Use for information on how this resource can be used.

Accessibility Level

The documents for this resource meet accessibility standards in accordance with the final rule for Section 508 of the National Rehabilitation Act.
Version History
Date Published 10.21.15
Date Updated 01.24.18
Curriculum Connections
NGSS (2013)

HS-LS1-1, HS-LS3-1, HS-LS3-3, HS-LS4-1; SEP6

AP Biology (2019)

EVO-1.N, EVO-3.F, IST-1.I, IST-2.A, IST-2.D, IST-2.E, IST-4.A, SYI-3.C; SP1, SP5

IB Biology (2016)

2.7, 3.1, 3.4, 5.1, 9.3, 10.2

AP Environmental Science (2013)

II.C

IB Environmental Systems and Societies (2017)

5.2

Common Core (2010)

ELA.WHST.9-12.1
MP2

Vision and Change (2009)

CC1, CC2, CC3; DP1

Materials
Educator Materials (PDF) 1 MB
Student Handout (PDF) 1 MB
Educator Materials - Español (PDF) 1 MB
Student Handout - Español (PDF) 1 MB
Use This Resource With
Video Resource
Popped Secret: The Mysterious Origin of Corn

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By: BioInteractive

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