Ancient people relied on genetic variation already present in wild plants to domesticate crops like rice and corn

What happened

Oryza rufipogon is an ordinary-looking wild grass found today in parts of China, India and Southeast Asia. More than 8,000 years ago, people living in the Lower Yangtze Valley began cultivating it.

Key facts

• Oryza rufipogon is an ordinary-looking wild grass — found: today in parts of China, India and Southeast Asia