If not for a single-nucleotide mutation, each kernel on a juicy corn cob would be trapped inside an inedible casing as tough as a walnut shell. In the July issue of GENETICS, Wang et al. identify an amino acid substitution that was key to the development of the so-called 'naked' kernels that characterize modern corn (maize).
Read more at Genes to Genomes. Post available at: http://genestogenomes.org/the-mutation-that-unlocked-corn-kernels/