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

Ancient people domesticated crops like rice and corn using genetic variations already present in wild plants.

The study, published in the journal Nature, found that people in the Lower Yangtze Valley began cultivating Oryza rufipogon, an ordinary-looking wild grass, over 8,000 years ago.

The research suggests that early farmers were more selective in their plant choices than previously thought.