Season 1, Episode 20

Have you eaten corn recently?  Have you filled your car with ethanol this week?  How did the simple grass teosinte evolve to become corn, one of the most important cereal grains on the planet?  Join me for our last interview of 2023 as we talk to Professor Michael Blake from the University of British Columbia to learn about the origins and spread of maize.  We discuss the history, anthropology, and science of corn, all of which he writes about in his book Maize for the Gods.  For more information about him and his research, check out his faculty webpage.  If you are interested in the genetics of maize evolution, I also recommend one of his papers in the journal Science:

Genomic estimation of complex traits reveals ancient maize adaptation to temperate North America

Our music is Inspiring Cinematic Asia by Lexin Music, which is available at Pixabay.