Here is a brain-popper! Corn, or more appropriately, maize, was intentionally domesticated by humans around 9,000 years ago and over a period of hundreds to thousands of years! Genetics and botany researchers have collaborated to find that the most closely related plant to our edible corn is a grass that is very unlike corn at first glance, but on a chromosomal level, is only a handful of genes different. As an enhancement to a genetics unit, a social studies unit on Native Americans, or even in an agriculture class, this reading comprehension and video viewing lesson plan is a nice addition.