EPISODE · May 6, 2025 · 33 MIN
Genomic Repeat: Bananageddon - Challenging assumptions around food security
from Nice Genes! · host Genome BC
This episode was originally released on September 19, 2023Is the world running out of bananas? Well, no. Not…yet — but nature is flashing a big, yellow, squishy "caution" sign. In this episode, Dr. Kaylee Byers peels away our assumptions about food security by looking at bananas. Venturing Down Under, we connect with Dr. James Dale from Queensland University of Technology – a bona fide banana expert, who tells us exactly why this iconic yellow fruit could one day become a rarity. But, with the help of a clever genomic idea, he and his intrepid team of Aussie researchers and farmers are looking at how to hit "abort" on complete Bananageddon.Special thanks to Mark Smith with Darwin Fruit Farm Party Limited for providing field recordings for this episode.References:Why Don’t Banana Candies Taste Like Real Bananas? | Science FridayWhat We Can Learn From the Near-Death of the Banana | TIMEBanana Wars: Power, Production, and History in the Americas | Duke University PressChinese coolies | National Library BoardThe Story of the Cavendish Banana | Tenerife WeeklyNot your mother’s banana | BananageddonFungal attacks threaten global food supply, say experts | The GuardianThe banana is dying. The race is on to reinvent it before it's too late | WiredQUT-developed GM Cavendish offers safety net to world banana industry | Queensland University of TechnologyCredit:Journey to Banana Land: By the United Fruit Company (1950) | Institute of Visual TrainingAg Report: Fighting rural farm crime; banana disease; and ag grant award | ABC News
What this episode covers
This episode was originally released on September 19, 2023Is the world running out of bananas? Well, no. Not…yet — but nature is flashing a big, yellow, squishy "caution" sign. In this episode, Dr. Kaylee Byers peels away our assumptions about food security by looking at bananas. Venturing Down Under, we connect with Dr. James Dale from Queensland University of Technology – a bona fide banana expert, who tells us exactly why this iconic yellow fruit could one day become a rarity. But, with the help of a clever genomic idea, he and his intrepid team of Aussie researchers and farmers are looking at how to hit "abort" on complete Bananageddon.Special thanks to Mark Smith with Darwin Fruit Farm Party Limited for providing field recordings for this episode.References:Why Don’t Banana Candies Taste Like Real Bananas? | Science FridayWhat We Can Learn From the Near-Death of the Banana | TIMEBanana Wars: Power, Production, and History in the Americas | Duke University PressChinese coolies | National Library BoardThe Story of the Cavendish Banana | Tenerife WeeklyNot your mother’s banana | BananageddonFungal attacks threaten global food supply, say experts | The GuardianThe banana is dying. The race is on to reinvent it before it's too late | WiredQUT-developed GM Cavendish offers safety net to world banana industry | Queensland University of TechnologyCredit:Journey to Banana Land: By the United Fruit Company (1950) | Institute of Visual TrainingAg Report: Fighting rural farm crime; banana disease; and ag grant award | ABC News
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Genomic Repeat: Bananageddon - Challenging assumptions around food security
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