Tiny genetic tweak unlocked corn kernels during domestication
Monday, July 13, 2015 - 10:10
in Biology & Nature
If not for a single genetic mutation, each kernel on a juicy corn cob would be trapped inside a inedible casing as tough as a walnut shell. The mutation switches one amino acid for another at a specific position in a protein regulating formation of these shells in modern corn's wild ancestor, according to a new study.