It is believed that cotton production originated more than 7,000 years ago. As a key component in global textiles for millennia, the various growing, harvesting and processing techniques have varied ...

Click to open image viewer. An albumen print on cabinet card depicting a wooden cotton press in use. The press has steps leading up to a platform on which a man is standing and loading cotton into the ...

If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in ...