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June 1

Why are bananas yellow?

Why are bananas yellow? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Gigglefit500 (talk • contribs) 00:06, 1 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]

That's a Science Desk question... AnonMoos (talk) 01:08, 1 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]

The article Banana indicates several colors depending on the variety. And even the most common store-bought varieties start as green, then turn yellow, and then flecked with brown, and eventually all brown or almost black. ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 01:43, 1 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]

^{They are not ripe until the skin is almost black. I can never understand why so many people eat them before then!} Dbfirs 06:07, 1 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]

What's your source for that belief, Dbfrs? In my experience, bananas that are almost black are generally regarded as over-ripe, and considered good for only one thing - baking banana cakes. For simple eating, ones that are yellow with no green tinges and only a few if any black spots are the best. By that I mean they're firm but easy to chew, and soft without being mushy/squishy. Also, their sugar content is supposedly lower, which is better for diabetics (I'm not sure how that works, since a banana is a fairly closed system). I live in a country that has a large banana industry; some other places have to import all or most of their bananas, and they have to be chemically treated to guarantee their arrival in edible condition. This often means they're ripe when they appear not to be, or vice-versa. That may be your experience in Cumbria, not known for its extensive banana plantations, afaik -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 23:29, 1 June 2014 (UTC) [reply]

My extra-small type was intended to indicate that this was a personal preference, and a source of contention. You are almost certainly correct that yellow bananas available in Cumbria are really green ones that have been artificially ripened. I find them difficult to digest before the skins go black because of the high starch content, but perhaps this is because I've never had the opportunity to taste a tree-ripened banana. One day I might visit you in upside-down country. Dbfirs 08:51, 2 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]

I look forward to that. -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 09:00, 2 June 2014 (UTC) [reply]

"When flecked with brown / And with a golden hue / Bananas taste the best / And are the best for you." --Chiquita Banana ←Baseball Bugs ^{What's up, Doc?} carrots→ 10:46, 1 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]

As I recall, another Chiquita poetic effort was "Bananas are best / With freckles on their vest". Deor (talk) 11:12, 1 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Bananas are yellow (for a certain period of time) because their skin reflects light between 570 and 590 nm. Angr (talk) 12:59, 1 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Bananas are yellow because purple failed in a marketing test. Bus stop (talk) 15:05, 1 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]

From a physics point of view, they are yellow because they are not blue, and because they are not quite green or red either. Plasmic Physics (talk) 00:56, 2 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Chemistry-wise, because Cavendish bananas naturally stop ripening after picking, they stay green. But if you stick them in a room at 18 degrees Celsius and give them a nice dose of ethylene, they'll turn yellow, the colour of optimism and pleasure (citation needed). Likewise, if you grow marijuana when the nights are getting colder in the north, it'll turn purple and convince customers it has extra zing. InedibleHulk (talk) 02:41, 2 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]

From an evolutionary POV, I'd say they are yellow because that makes it easy for animals such as monkeys to spot them, which then carry them to remote locations, where the seeds can grow. They are tasty for a similar reason. StuRat (talk) 04:51, 2 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Aye. They also turn fluorescent in ultraviolet when they're ripe. I can't exactly describe the colour, but I'd bet it's more impressive than boring old yellow/green/greenish yellow. Pentachromatic birds don't want to fly all the way over there just to be bitterly disappointed, and the trees realize that's a key demographic. Eventually. Accidentally. Or some other tree does first, and we www.naturalnews.com/023339_banana_bananas_fruit.html ^{[unreliable fringe source?]} prepare to say goodbye to bananas.] InedibleHulk (talk) 09:41, 2 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]

On a darker note, the top banana of the United Fruit Company was Black. Like many of his spoiled counterparts, he was tossed from a window and onto the roadside. InedibleHulk (talk) 09:49, 2 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]

As this is the Language Refdesk it may be relevant to examine the etymology and history of the word "yellow" - see Yellow#Etymology and definitions, the sources cited in that section are probably also worth reading. Roger (Dodger67) (talk) 10:00, 2 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]

How about that? Comes from a word meaning "yellow". InedibleHulk (talk) 11:56, 2 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]

That's 'cause etymology be kewl! Roger (Dodger67) (talk) 12:39, 2 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]

terms of endearment Lithuanian

hello, could the all-knowing RefDesk please suggest some terms of endearment in Lithuanian? in particular, I'd like to know if there's a term equivalent to the Russian солнышко/Polish słoneczko "little sun" Asmrulz (talk) 00:15, 1 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]

This is the Reference Desk after all, but I couldn't find any reference specifically listing terms of endearment. This paper, however, discusses diminutives (which are often used to form terms of endearment) in Lithuanian and gives an example of saulutėlė as a diminutive of "sun" although it doesn't say whether it can be used as term of endearment. I've found that Google translate does a decent job of translating Lithuanian. You can try entering words into Google Translate such as "sweetheart" (which gives four possible translations: širdelė, "sweetheart, darling, sugar"; mielasis, "dear, sweetheart, honey, sugar, pet"; brangusis, "dear, darling, sweetheart, babe, pet"; mylimasis, "beloved, lover, sweetie, love, sweety, sweetheart") for some ideas.--William Thweatt ^Talk^Contribs 02:03, 1 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]

Thank you!Asmrulz (talk) 15:52, 1 June 2014 (UTC)[reply]