Description:.

 How did a perishable fruit from Central America become the cheapest fruit in the supermarket? What is a "Banana Republic"? Why is a banana tree not a tree? Why don't bananas have seeds? Why does every banana in America look like every other banana in America? Why does the price of a banana in Japan depend on the altitude at which it is grown? Is the banana on its way to extinction?  This seminar will answer these and other questions about our favorite fruit. 

Bio of presenter: 

 Dr. Scott Poethig is the John and Margaret Fassitt professor of Biology at the U. of Pennsylvania.  In addition to his research on the genetics of plant development, he teaches a course on the Biology of Food. He is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and received the Lindback prize for teaching from Penn.