Laurie Pilling, age 10, of Enterprise, Ontario, Canada, for her question:

 Where did popcorn originate?

Experts tell us that corn originated somewhere in Central or South America. They have traced it back through thousands of years. But nobody knows exactly where or when the first corn patches were cultivated. In any case, the Indians had been growing several different kinds of corn for ages before Columbus arrived. Some types were yellow; some types were speckled with red and blue. And some of the Indian corn was popcorn. Popcorn is a special kind of corn that grows on rather short plants. Its ears are smallish and its pointed kernels have very tough coats. When it becomes very hot, the moisture inside turns to steam. The steam expands and bursts the kernels apart. They swell up and a half a cup of the kernels becomes a whole quart of puffy popcorn. Most likely the Indians of Central America discovered the secrets of popcorn many thou¬sands of years ago.