It is hard to overestimate how unusual the situation of bananas

Author : eureka2020live
Publish Date : 2021-03-04 09:34:07


It is hard to overestimate how unusual the situation of bananas

The middle of the last century was—unusual not just in the history of humanity but also in the history of life. There is a patch of aspen trees in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah that many argue is the largest living organism on earth. It comprises some thirty-seven thousand trees, each of which is genetically the same as the other, and the argument goes that the trees, collectively, represent a single organism because they are identical and connected by their roots. But requiring pieces of an organism to be connected in order to be considered part of a collective is arbitrary.

http://www.student-99.com/advert/mlb-tv-white-sox-vs-giants-live-stream-reddit-free-online-hd/

https://saipango.com/advert/free-tv-twins-vs-rays-live-stream-2021/

https://bvinews.com/advert/free-michigan-vs-michigan-statelivestream-watch-free-tv-coverage/

https://bflsheep.com/advert/live-west-virginia-vs-tcu-live-stream-watch-on-reddit-free/

https://minskherald.com/advert/liveiowa-vs-nebraska-live-stream-free/

The ants in an ant colony, for example, are clearly part of the colony, even when they’re not physically in the nest. All this is to say that an argument can be made that large groups of genetically identical plants, even if not connected, may reasonably be considered a single organism. If one makes such an argument, the banana plantations of Central America in the 1950s were not only the largest collective organism alive at that point, they also may well have been the largest collective organism ever to live.Economically, growing just a single clone of bananas was genius. Biologically, it posed problems.

American-owned United Fruit Company. United Fruit Company paid Guatemala’s government modest sums in exchange for land.In 1950, most bananas were exported from Central America. Guatemala in particular was a key piece of a vast empire of banana plantations run by the With the land, United Fruit planted bananas and then did as it pleased. It exercised absolute control not only over what workers did but also over how and where they lived. In addition, it controlled transportation, constructing, for example, the first railway in the country,  The company’s profits were immense. In 1950, its revenues were twice the gross domestic product of the entire country of Guatemala. Yet while the United Fruit Company invested greatly in its ability to move bananas, little was invested in understanding the biology of bananas themselves.

On a plate, a single banana seems whimsical—yellow and sweet, contained in its own easy-to-open peel. It is a charming breakfast luxury as silly as it is delicious and ever-present. Yet when you eat a banana the flavor on your tongue has complex roots, equal parts sweetness and tragedy

United Fruit and the rest of the banana industry did what industries do. They figured out how to do one thing well—in this case, grow one variety of banana, the Gros Michel. Moreover, because it is difficult to get domesticated bananas to have sex (they are puritan in their proclivities, blessed with virtually no seeds), the Gros Michel was reproduced via suckers, clonally. Cuttings from the best specimens were replanted. As a result, virtually all bananas grown in Guatemala, in Latin America in general, and around the world for export were genetically identical. Identical in the way that identical human twins are identical and even a tiny bit more so. For industry, this was great. Bananas were predictable. Each was like each other. No banana was ever the wrong size, the wrong flavor, the wrong anything.

 



Category : news

(Released~New~2021) Microsoft MTA 98-364   Exam Study Material

(Released~New~2021) Microsoft MTA 98-364 Exam Study Material

- ValidExamDumps is one of the largest platforms offering trusted preparation materials for the most competitive and sophisticated exams. One of the best-selling preparation materials offered by ValidEx


Global Rilutek Market Size, Segment, Analysis To 2025

Global Rilutek Market Size, Segment, Analysis To 2025

- Global Rilutek Market Analysis Report 2020 by Manufacturers, Regions, Type and Application, Forecast to 2025


Andy Murray sets up quarterfinal clash with Novak Djokovic at Miami Masters trommel

Andy Murray sets up quarterfinal clash with Novak Djokovic at Miami Masters trommel

- Andy Murray will play Novak Djokovic in the quarterfinals of the Miami Masters after both men sailed


New [2021 ] Tips | Updated Microsoft PL-600 Exam Dumps

New [2021 ] Tips | Updated Microsoft PL-600 Exam Dumps

- If you are using Pass4itsure Microsoft PL-600 dumps, you will be 100% successful.