Slashdot Mirror
Bye Bye Bananas — the Return of Panama Disease
Ant sends in a disturbing report in The Scientist on an imminent threat to worldwide banana production. "The banana we eat today is not the one your grandparents ate. That one — known as the Gros Michel — was, by all accounts, bigger, tastier, and hardier than the variety we know and love, which is called the Cavendish. The unavailability of the Gros Michel is easily explained: it is virtually extinct. Introduced to our hemisphere in the late 19th century, the Gros Michel was almost immediately hit by a blight that wiped it out by 1960. The Cavendish was adopted at the last minute by the big banana companies — Chiquita and Dole — because it was resistant to that blight, a fungus known as Panama disease... [Now] Panama disease — or Fusarium wilt of banana — is back, and the Cavendish does not appear to be safe from this new strain, which appeared two decades ago in Malaysia, spread slowly at first, but is now moving at a geometrically quicker pace. There is no cure, and nearly every banana scientist says that though Panama disease has yet to hit the banana crops of Latin America, which feed our hemisphere, the question is not if this will happen, but when. Even worse, the malady has the potential to spread to dozens of other banana varieties, including African bananas, the primary source of nutrition for millions..."
Will this finally be the end of "Peanut Butter Jelly Time"?
Slow news day? I think any story about a major threat to our food supply to be a major one, plus it mentions "Banana Scientists"! What is there not to love?
Georgia Tech, the leader in Chia(tm) technology.
think of the monkeys !
--- Back to the trees, back to the trees !
All I can think of is the cave at the beginning of the first level in Donkey Kong Country for SNES. When you enter the cave, DK sees that his banana pile is all gone and is sad.
Clearly this is a viral commercial for the next DK Country! DK Country Wii: Panama Disease Adventure!
I read the script, and I think it would help my character's motivation if he was on fire. -Bender
So, was granpa's banana more slippery? 'Cos that would explain their widespread use as comic devices in the pre-television era. (And, no, I never thought about asking Grandma about Granpa's banana, codenamed "Big Mike." Pervert.)
We have no bananas today!
Do it yourself, because no one else will do it yourself. [beta blockade 10-17 Feb]
What other animated emoticon can I use to signal that I have an erection?
Monstar L
Is anyone else wondering what exactly it was about this Big Michael guy that caused someone to name a large and tasty banana after him...?
Technically, that was worth a thousand words.
May contain traces of nut.
Made from the freshest electrons.
Yikes!
That's like those horror images you see, like the ones the dentist shows you - "clean your teeth children, or they'll look like... THIS!".
Eat your vegetables children, or you'll have to eat bananas.. like THIS!
"There is no cure, and nearly every banana scientist says..."
Anyone else burst out laughing after reading the title of banana scientist? This picture came to mind...
http://www.zenbutoh.com/charactergallery/images/gorilla-bananas.jpg
But I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts....
Kwisatz Haderach
Sell the spice to CHOAM
This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne
In other news, there's a Banana.com.
"The wild banana has genetic variation aplenty, but it's also disgusting."
:-)
that's genetic variation to prevent the fruit from being eaten by two-legged straight-walking simians who do not spread the seeds/pollen.
You're absolutely right,
until netcraft confirms babanas are dying I won't believe it at all!
that's "seem's", you insensitive clod!
One swallow does not a fellatrix make
No, the correct term is 'Bananologist'!
My blog
... which would be preferable to bananas falling out of your bottom I suppose...
'Don't worry' said the trees when they saw the axe coming, 'The handle is one of us.'
It's like I am Legend, if the movie was made with bananas, instead of people!
Has anyone tried eating the fungus yet? Perhaps it and the bananas do not taste very different.
The bananas had it coming to them. Karma anyone? They've been spinning out karts for far too long.
Reviewing just the first hour of video games.
I get you're constantly telling your friends about how you don't buy grocery store fruit, aren't you?
Don't forget making the bananas grow arms and legs, then rise up against humanity.
I, for one, welcome our new yellow overlords.
Your ad here.
Dewey, you fool! Your decimal system has played right into my hands!
From what I can tell from watching my wife buy melons and tasting the result, the technique is to hit them with the flat of your hand, listen to the sound they make, and then after doing this to about a dozen, choose one completely at random and hope for the best.
If you mod me Overrated, you are admitting that you have no penis.
So... you're saying that we're not hitting peak banana, just peak cheap banana.
Cavendish bananas are the Wonder Bread of bananas. Most people who have tried other varieties think they're(other varieties) a bland shadow of what bananas should be.
Please post in lojban to avoid this problem.
The creator of this post (Jacob Smith) hereby releases it, and all of his other posts, into the public domain.
slashdot - international cuisine for nerds
You can get rich if you own a politician, but you have to be rich to buy one in the first place.
Yes, we have no bananas tomorrow.
I think you answered it yourself, but to make it perfectly clear....
No cheezburger. Soy Burgers don't cut it.
No Doritos. Although keyboards all of the world would rejoice, programming would never be the same
No Rice Krispie Marshmallow treats.
No Cinnamon Rolls, No Twinkies, No Doughnuts.I think you get the idea now: The End of The World As We Know it.
Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!