Genomic Repeat: Bananageddon - Challenging assumptions around food security

This episode was originally released on September 19, 2023

Is 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:

1. Why Don’t Banana Candies Taste Like Real Bananas? | Science Friday
2. What We Can Learn From the Near-Death of the Banana | TIME
3. Banana Wars: Power, Production, and History in the Americas | Duke University Press
4. Chinese coolies | National Library Board
5. The Story of the Cavendish Banana | Tenerife Weekly
6. Not your mother’s banana | Bananageddon
7. Fungal attacks threaten global food supply, say experts | The Guardian
8. The banana is dying. The race is on to reinvent it before it's too late | Wired
9. QUT-developed GM Cavendish offers safety net to world banana industry | Queensland University of Technology

Credit:

1. Journey to Banana Land: By the United Fruit Company (1950) | Institute of Visual Training
2. Ag Report: Fighting rural farm crime; banana disease; and ag grant award | ABC News