Bananageddon! Say Goodbye to *the* Banana, and Hello to the Weird and Wonderful World of Bananas, Plural

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Yes, it's true: the banana we know and love is going the way of the dodo bird. An incurable strain of the fungal Panama disease known as TR4 is currently wiping out tens of thousands of acres of banana plantations, from Malaysia to Australia and Mozambique to El Salvador. But what's bananas is: this has all happened before! Is history doomed to repeat itself? Find out in the grand finale of our banana series. It's banana-pocalypse then *and* now, in this story of CIA subterfuge and human parakeets—plus we get to the bottom of the mystery of banana-flavored candy and meet the weird and wonderful candidates auditioning for the role of banana of the future.

Photo by Anthony Basil Rodriguez

Episode Notes

Dan Koeppel

Writer and journalist Dan Koeppel is the author of Banana: The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World.

Mauricio Diazgranados

Botanist Mauricio Diazgranados is the chief science officer and dean of science at the New York Botanical Garden.

Layla Zaglul Ruiz

Anthropologist Layla Zaglul Ruiz is the Canning House Research Fellow at the Latin America and Caribbean Center at the London School of Economics. She is the author of the new book, Fair Trade Enclaves: Labour and Livelihoods in Costa Rica's Banana Industry.

A wild swamp banana Anthony photographed in Borneo. He described its seeds as surprisingly soft, forming a gum-like texture when chewed. (Photo by Anthony Basil Rodriguez)
In Hawaii, Anthony holds a mango-like Fe’i banana, found around the Pacific Islands. It has a custardy flavor and texture, and Anthony noticed that the loads of beta-carotene in it turn your urine the bright yellow-green color of antifreeze. (Photo by Anthony Basil Rodriguez)

Anthony Basil Rodriguez

Anthony Basil Rodriguez is an enthnobotanist and photographer. He is currently working on a book titled Bananas of the World, a first-look version of which is now available for pre-order.

Ben Brisbois

Ben Brisbois is an assistant professor at the University of Montreal's School of Public Health and is the author of the new book Banana Capital: Stories, Science, and Poison at the Equator.

The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation for the Public Understanding of Science, Technology, and Economics

This episode of Gastropod was supported by a generous grant from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation for the Public Understanding of Science, Technology, and Economics. Check out the other books, movies, shows, podcasts, and more that they support here.