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 per cent of global production.
Scientists have now unraveled the domestication history of this important species – called Gossypium hirsutum, or upland cotton – with
