Lesson Summary: Evo in the news: The other green (r)evolution

Lesson summary for... Evo in the news: The other green (r)evolution Author/Source: UC Museum of Paleontology

Overview:	Though corn is "all-natural" in some ways, in others it is entirely manmade. This news brief from February 2007 explains the evolutionary tools that ancient humans used to engineer modern corn and the tools that scientists are using today to reconstruct corn's evolutionary history.
Concepts:	This lesson covers the following concepts: Artificial selection provides a model for natural selection. People selectively breed domesticated plants and animals to produce offspring with preferred characteristics. Evolution results from selection acting upon genetic variation within a population. As with other scientific disciplines, evolutionary biology has applications that factor into everyday life.
Grade Level:	9-12
Time:	20 minutes
Teacher Background:	Explore these links for additional information on the topics covered in this lesson: Genetic Variation Artificial Selection
Teaching Tips:	This article includes a set of discussion and extension questions for use in class. It also includes hints about related lessons that might be used in conjunction with this one.