A new paper published today in Molecular Biology and Evolution reveals that it's not as straightforward as it might seem. Despite decades of data collection by the United Nations Office on Drugs and ...

Ever wondered how scientists tell apart coca plants grown for different human uses (sometimes illegal) from those that grow wild? A new paper published today in Molecular Biology and Evolution reveals ...

Tropane alkaloids (TAs) are heterocyclic nitrogenous metabolites found across seven orders of angiosperms, including Malpighiales (Erythroxylaceae) and Solanales (Solanaceae). Despite the ...

Since the Western world came across the South American plant genus Erythroxylum, the use of this multifaceted genus has been associated with the production of soft drinks, such as Coca Cola, or with ...

Accounting for $1.5 billion in 2020, the cocaine drug market is the second largest illegal drug market in the world. It comes from Erythroxylum coca, a plant native to South America that local people ...

Despite disco being centuries away, residents of 17th century Italy may have had a hankering for cocaine. Preserved human brains from Milan tested positive for the drug, centuries before it was ...

A new paper reveals that it's not as straightforward as it might seem. Despite decades of data collection by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which has been valuable to monitor ...