(FOX 9) Why Cornfields Make the Midwest Muggier

As record heat and humidity hit parts of the U.S. this summer, FOX 9 visited an Illinois cornfield to explain "corn sweat," and how it is making the Midwest muggier.

The Danforth Center's Dr. Katie Murphy, Director of the Phenotyping Core Facility, studies how corn responds to heat, and joined the segment to break down the science behind corn sweat. She explained that corn pulls water up from its roots and releases it through tiny pores in its leaves. With roughly 95 million acres of corn planted across the U.S. corn belt this year, all that moisture adds up fast.