Originally posted by twhiteheadI think the article is clear that eating bananas are at an evolutionary standstill. The new species are essentially man-made.
A bit of a contradiction there. If it is at an evolutionary stand still no new varieties can possibly arise. If you read the Wikipedia page you will find there are not only several species, varieties withing species and also hybrids. I can recall eating at least three different varieties.
... I wish I had used mules as an example instead!
Originally posted by wolfgang59I have eaten at least three different varieties of banana.
I think the article is clear that eating bananas are at an evolutionary standstill. The new species are essentially man-made.
The Wikipedia clearly states that there are several species including a hybrid.
How could new species/varieties be man made except by breeding (thus evolution)? I don't think we have used direct Genetic modification on bananas yet.
The article is simply wrong.
I remember my sister was told by one of her lecturers at university that bananas don't have seeds, so next holiday she went to one of the farms in Livingstone and collected some banana seeds to show him.
... I wish I had used mules as an example instead!
Every mule is genetically unique and is typically the offspring via sexual reproduction of a horse and a donkey. So if you use different breeds of horses or donkey you would get significant genetic diversity.
There are also rare cases of mules having offspring.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mule#Fertility
1 edit
Originally posted by wolfgang59I doubt if a mule would have been any better.
I think the article is clear that eating bananas are at an evolutionary standstill. The new species are essentially man-made.
... I wish I had used mules as an example instead!
Mules come in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. There are mules that resemble quarter horses, huge draft mules, fine-boned racing mules, shaggy pony mules and many more types.
A mule is the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse. Horses and donkeys are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes. Of the two F1 hybrids between these two species, a mule is easier to obtain than a hinny (the offspring of a male horse and a female donkey). While there is no known instance of a male mule siring offspring, female mules have on very rare occasion given birth to viable offspring. The size of a mule and work to which it is put depends largely on the breeding of the mule's dam. Mules can be lightweight, medium weight, or even, when produced from draught horse mares, of moderately heavy weight.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mule
The Instructor
Originally posted by twhiteheadI quoted wiki and when you didn't like
The article is simply wrong.
I remember my sister was told by one of her lecturers at university that bananas don't have seeds, so next holiday she went to one of the farms in Livingstone and collected some banana seeds to show him.
[b]... I wish I had used mules as an example instead!
Every mule is genetically unique and is typically the offsp ...[text shortened]... ere are also rare cases of mules having offspring.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mule#Fertility[/b]
that I found a New Scientist article.
You come back with a family anecdote.
🙄