Bananas: A Parable for Our Times

alternet.org

2 pointsmixmax4 comments

"There is no cure. They all die as it spreads, and it spreads quickly. Soon -- in five, 10 or 30 years -- the yellow creamy fruit as we know it will not exist."

It seems like the author never heard of (natural) selection leading to resistances against diseases. Or it just would not fit his story.

The bananas you buy at the supermarket are all genetically identical clones. This is why they are so vulnerable to the banana plague.

Interesting, all edible bananas are sterile:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/07/0726_wireban...

Sex helps in reshuffling the genes so that you can compete against parasites with a much shorter generation cycle.

Still asexual reproduction introduces at least a few mutations sometimes. Even if 95% of all bananas die, there will be some bananas left immune to the disease.

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