Reuters Science News Summary

Following is a summary ​of current ​science news ‌briefs.

Scientists unravel ​the history of cotton domestication

Cotton, the ‌world's most profitable nonfood crop, is used more than any other natural fiber. Known ‌for its comfort and durability, it ‌has been utilized since antiquity in fabrics and other goods. Four species are grown ⁠commercially, ​but one ⁠is dominant, accounting for about 90% of global ⁠production. Scientists have now unraveled the domestication ​history of this important species - called Gossypium ⁠hirsutum, or upland cotton - with some ⁠genomic ​sleuthing. They determined that it was first domesticated in Mexico in ⁠the northwestern part of the Yucatan peninsula. The ⁠region ⁠at the time was populated by Stone Age farmers, long ‌before ‌the Maya civilization ​flourished there.

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