Naked Science Forum

General Science => General Science => Topic started by: ukmicky on 28/03/2007 00:07:03

Title: bananas
Post by: ukmicky on 28/03/2007 00:07:03

We all know bananas are good for you as they contain potassium which helps regulate and run things in your body, but is it possible to eat too many and get potassium poisoning.




Also if i plant a banana will it grow,.

Title: bananas
Post by: paul.fr on 28/03/2007 00:52:00

I don't think so, the banana is the main part of the diet in some populations.

Athough the banana is a fruit it has ne seed, and is sterile. new banana plants are grown from cuttings, so again i don't think you can grow a banana plant by burying your own banana.

Title: bananas
Post by: daveshorts on 29/03/2007 07:20:46

I think potassium compounds, whilst absolutely leathal if you inject them (it stops your heart), are very safe if eaten. Your body has ways of absorbing or not absorbing them if it wants to. Although as with anything it is probably poisonous at a high enough dose.

If you plant what you think of as a bananna it won't grow, it is an infertile triploid hybrid - there are 3 of each chromosome not just 2 - however if you planted other breeds of bananna that have seeds, they would grow fine

Title: bananas
Post by: paul.fr on 29/03/2007 09:49:37

Quote from: daveshorts on 29/03/2007 07:20:46

If you plant what you think of as a bananna it won't grow, it is an infertile triploid hybrid - there are 3 of each chromosome not just 2 - however if you planted other breeds of bananna that have seeds, they would grow fine

as Dave has said "If you plant what you think of as a bananna it won't grow" , i did not make this clear in my earlier reply, sorry. There are close to 1,000 species of banana today. Most of them are inedible and have pea sized seeds.

As has been stated, what we would call a banana is the one where you do not have to cook it before eating and has lots of flesh. the dark lines you see on the banana as remnant of the seeds.