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Edition #30 · Sunday, June 21, 2026 · 1959 positive stories
Science & Breakthroughs

Cotton's roots traced to Yucatan Peninsula, where wild gene pool runs deepest

Phys.org Latest Tue, 16 Ju
Cotton's roots traced to Yucatan Peninsula, where wild gene pool runs deepest

There's nothing like this in nature, Jonathan Wendel said as he showed a visitor in his Bessey Hall office the long white puffs billowing from a cotton boll-the protective flower capsule of the plant cultivated by humans for thousands of years. In the wild, cotton bolls are far smaller and hold darker, coarser and shorter fibers.

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About Science & Breakthroughs coverage

The science section covers breakthroughs in medicine, physics, biology, and technology. We surface discoveries that expand what humanity can do, from new treatments reaching clinical trials to engineering feats that seemed impossible a decade ago. Every link goes to the original publisher so you can read the full study or press release yourself.

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