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Activity for Popped Secret: The Mysterious Origin of Corn

Image of an ear of corn from the film

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
Saved By
25 Users
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View in Spanish

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.
     

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 (WCAG compliance)

PDF files meet criteria.

Version History

Date Published 10.21.15
Date Updated 01.24.18

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 (2020)

Topic(s): 2.6, 5.3
Learning Objectives & Practices: ERT-2.H, EIN-2.C, SP5, SP6

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

Explore Related Content

Other Resources About Corn

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Photo of corn next to teosinte from the activity
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The Teosinte Hypothesis
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Data Points
Selective Breeding in Maize
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Data Points
Dating Corn Domestication Using Carbon Isotopes
Illustration of a teosinte plant next to a corn plant
Lessons
Stalking the Genetic Basis of a Trait
Image of ears of corn from the film
Short Films
Popped Secret: The Mysterious Origin of Corn
Screen shot of the quiz
Interactive Videos
Interactive Assessment for Popped Secret: The Mysterious Origin of Corn

Other Related Resources

Showing of
Image of ears of corn from the film
Short Films
Popped Secret: The Mysterious Origin of Corn
Screen shot of the quiz
Interactive Videos
Interactive Assessment for Popped Secret: The Mysterious Origin of Corn
Illustration of a teosinte plant next to a corn plant
Lessons
Stalking the Genetic Basis of a Trait
Image from the activity
Data Points
Selective Breeding in Maize
Photo of corn next to teosinte from the activity
Lessons
The Teosinte Hypothesis
Image from the interactive
Click & Learn
Natural and Artificial Selection
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Clips
Dog Breeding
Microscopy image of root growth
Phenomenal Images
Root Movement
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Phenomenal Images
Mystery of the Missing Tusks
Image from the activity
Data Points
Dating Corn Domestication Using Carbon Isotopes

This Resource Appears in the Following Playlists

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