 Corn (also known as maize), was already being eaten 8,700 years ago in the lowlands of what is now southwestern Mexico. Like all domestic crops, it was probably developed through a combination of random mutations (producing, for example, a variety whose seed heads did not explode, thus allowing the seeds to be harvested by humans) and selective breeding by humans. Selective breeding occurs when humans facilitate the reproduction of only those plant or animal varieties that contain the traits most beneficial for themselves. Just how long it took humans to domesticate wheat, corn, or any other crop is a matter of fierce scientific debate. For example, while domestic wheat was already being eaten 9,000 years ago in what is now southeastern Turkey, archaeological evidence suggests that humans may have been eating the grain's wild ancestor 14,000 years before that. How much of the intervening time period involved selective breeding, whether passively or deliberately, may never be known with any degree of certainty. Selective breeding is a truly natural way to shape the properties of an agricultural crop, whereas genetic engineering is an unnatural method that violates nature by creating GMO -- a source of 'genetic pollution' that now threatens the future of all food crops on our planet. Source: 25 Amazing Facts About Food , authored by Mike Adams and David Guiterrez. This report reveals surprising things about where your food comes from and what's really in it! Download the full report (FREE) by clicking here . Inside, you'll learn 24 more amazing but true facts about foods, beverages and food ingredients. Instant download of the complete PDF. All 25 facts are documented and true. Additional sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domestication http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corn http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/news/chiefeditor/2009/03/corn-domesticated-8700-years-ago.html 