Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Science/2022 November 29

= November 29 =

Banana chemical change?
In the past, bananas would be overripe in two seconds of leaving them there. But my mom and I did a science project. We peeled the banana's half and then left the other half unpeeled. It was supposed to show that the peel kept it safe. But it didn't overripe. It would've done so in the past. But, nowadays, they don't overripe as easily anymore. Did they change the chemicals of a banana or something? 67.215.28.226 (talk) 00:18, 29 November 2022 (UTC)
 * What do you mean by "leaving them there"? ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 00:59, 29 November 2022 (UTC)
 * Leaving them at room temperature! 67.215.28.226 (talk) 01:05, 29 November 2022 (UTC)
 * When I buy bananas, they last for several days before getting overripe. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 02:58, 29 November 2022 (UTC)
 * But in the past, they would last for 2 minutes at room temperature unpeeled. Did they change the chemicals or something? 67.215.28.226 (talk) 03:33, 29 November 2022 (UTC)
 * ?????????? I can assure you people having being eating bananas  sometimes completely peeled and taking longer to do it than 2 minutes let alone 2 seconds without them going off for a long time. It's also biologically and chemically extremely improbable. Nil Einne (talk) 04:47, 29 November 2022 (UTC)
 * Nil, I tried reading your first sentence several times and I just can't parse it. Normally you write limpid prose so I assume you were in a hurry.  Do you wish to reword? --Trovatore (talk) 07:53, 29 November 2022 (UTC)
 * Bananas have always been my favourite fruit, and I'm (unbelievably) in my 70s. In my long experience bananas last between 3 and 5 days before becoming overripe. But you say 2 minutes?? What crazy variety are you eating? --  Jack of Oz   [pleasantries]  10:57, 29 November 2022 (UTC)
 * I think a lot depends on one's definition of "ripe". I like a few black spots on the skin of my bananas before I consider them ripe, where as others would suggest at that point it is too ripe. As an aside, I find the best place to ripen bananas is on top of my PC - if I buy three on Monday morning, they are ready to just eat on Wednesday, better on Thursday and perfect on Friday. TrogWoolley (talk) 13:51, 29 November 2022 (UTC)
 * Yes, a little extra ripening eliminates the unpleasant tannic taste of the less-than-ripe banana and brings out the fruity aromas. I like some tannin in its place, say in a nice cabernet, but not in my fruit.  --Trovatore (talk) 16:52, 29 November 2022 (UTC)
 * You already asked this same question two weeks ago. Why the repeat? --OuroborosCobra (talk) 14:08, 29 November 2022 (UTC)
 * Don't expect an answer; the anon IP has been blocked. --Lambiam 15:36, 29 November 2022 (UTC)

Despite OP's exaggerated claim ("In the past, bananas would be overripe in two seconds "), it's plausible that consumers got bananas at a different stage of ripening in the past. Modern supermarket chains might prefer to offer under-ripe bananas on their shelves nowadays, which might wrongfully give the impression that they are different from bananas in the past. Bumptump (talk) 17:51, 29 November 2022 (UTC)
 * I've gotten used to the ebbs and flows of how the produce section of my local supermarket is restocked. Depending on the day of the week, the bananas may be anything from deep green to starting to get brown spots.  It really depends on when and where one is buying the produce as to its state of ripeness.  -- Jayron 32 19:06, 29 November 2022 (UTC)
 * Today's bananas are typically harvested well before they are ripe and submitted to ethylene during shipment so as to speed up the ripening process. This is done in a way calculated to result in almost-ripe bananas (no brown spots yet) by the time they reach the shelves of the retailers. Delays can disrupt the calculations, while there is also a retail market for underripe bananas; some people won't even eat fully ripe bananas, believing that the brown spots indicating ripeness mean a banana is spoilt. --Lambiam 21:51, 29 November 2022 (UTC)
 * Bananas that are a bit overripe are good candidates for Banana bread. ←Baseball Bugs What's up, Doc? carrots→ 23:45, 29 November 2022 (UTC)
 * How is this relevant to the question or to the discussion? Bumptump (talk) 17:20, 30 November 2022 (UTC)

WHERE ARE THE NORTH AMERICAN ABELISAURS?!
Why haven't we found definitive proof of abelisaurs in North America when we have fossils of saurolophine hadrosaurs and panoplosaurini nodosaurs in South America? CuddleKing1993 (talk) 05:18, 29 November 2022 (UTC)
 * Refer: Reference desk/Archives/Science/2022 November 16 . Note: asking in all caps is considered SHOUTING and is more likely to be ignored by volunteer responders on this desk.  136.56.52.157 (talk) 07:20, 29 November 2022 (UTC)
 * I will answer you the the exact same way I answered you the last time you asked a similar question. We believe that less than 1% of all animal species have ever even left fossils, and that of that 1%, less than 1% of THOSE will have been found by people.  The reason we haven't found ANY specific species of ANYTHING is because "finding any specific species is really rare".  References were provided in my prior answer, if you want to read up more on that.  -- Jayron 32 10:06, 29 November 2022 (UTC)
 * Perhaps because South America was in Gondwana when they were around and North America was in Laurasia. NadVolum (talk) 14:16, 29 November 2022 (UTC)