CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Bananas, as we know them, are in danger of going extinct. And while there may be a solution, it could forever change how the iconic fruit tastes.
You may not know it, but bananas are at a critical junction right now, with their future firmly in the hands of science. Let's connect the dots.
Right now, two diseases are threatening bananas worldwide, and experts fear these diseases could wipe them out completely. It's not the first time it's happened, either.
In the 1950s, bananas were wiped out by a different disease and replaced by a different variation resistant to the illness.
Because these new bananas are clones of one another, they're especially vulnerable to disease. Now, those diseases have spread to every banana-growing continent. It's a ticking time bomb for the whole banana industry.
Chiquita, one of the biggest fruit sellers on the planet, is working on a solution. Scientists with the company are using a genetic bank from 150 different species of banana to breed an edible, disease-resistant fruit.
While it would save the front, it would taste, and potentially feel, different to the ones we're used to.
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