Totally bananas

Totally bananas

Update: 2024-12-131
Share

Description

This week, a banana sold at auction for $6.2 million dollars. Well, not quite… it’s actually a piece of conceptual art and it’s WAY more than just a banana. There’s also some duct tape.

In response to this most bananas of auctions, the Unexpected Elements team are going bananas for bananas!

We investigate the science of slipping on a banana-skin. Is it just ‘cartoon physics’ or are they actually a slip-hazard?

And did you know your breakfast banana might be… radioactive?

Also, can Romanian ethical hackers succeed where the police have failed? We look at the computer sleuths tackling real life missing persons cases.
We find the answer to why toads have evolved such dangerous skins, and yet more bananas, as we look at the pros and cons of the Ethiopian False Banana. Why hasn’t this hardy plant conquered the world?

Presenter: Marnie Chesterton, with Andrada Fiscutean and Christine Yohannes
Producers: Emily Knight, Alice Lipscombe-Southwell and William Hornbrook
Sound engineer: Searle Whittney

Comments 
In Channel
The science of Santa

The science of Santa

2024-12-2052:13

Totally bananas

Totally bananas

2024-12-1350:49

Going home

Going home

2024-12-0650:48

Doing a deal

Doing a deal

2024-11-2950:51

Super Science

Super Science

2024-11-2250:13

Supermassive numbers

Supermassive numbers

2024-11-0851:08

The Swing of Things

The Swing of Things

2024-11-0150:26

Mystery blobs

Mystery blobs

2024-10-2551:52

TV made me do it

TV made me do it

2024-10-1851:13

All things Oregon!

All things Oregon!

2024-09-2751:32

Thrillseekers

Thrillseekers

2024-09-0651:29

A sticky situation

A sticky situation

2024-08-2351:20

The only one

The only one

2024-08-1650:35

Let them eat crab

Let them eat crab

2024-08-0949:30

loading
00:00
00:00
x

0.5x

0.8x

1.0x

1.25x

1.5x

2.0x

3.0x

Sleep Timer

Off

End of Episode

5 Minutes

10 Minutes

15 Minutes

30 Minutes

45 Minutes

60 Minutes

120 Minutes

Totally bananas

Totally bananas

BBC World Service