If you picked up a Honeycrisp apple at a grocery store in New York… and then a Honeycrisp in Texas… and then a Honeycrisp in California… they’d all be the exact same genetically. That’s because they’re all from the same original plant.
Stan Dzugan/Getty Images
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Stan Dzugan/Getty Images
If you picked up a Honeycrisp apple at a grocery store in New York… and then a Honeycrisp in Texas… and then a Honeycrisp in California… they’d all be the exact same genetically. That’s because they’re all from the same original plant.
Stan Dzugan/Getty Images
What’s your favorite apple? Maybe it’s the crowd-pleasing Honeycrisp, the tart Granny Smith or the infamous Red Delicious. Either way, before that apple made it to your local grocery store or orchard it had to be invented — by a scientist. So today, we’re going straight to the source: Talking to an apple breeder. Producer Hannah Chinn reports how apples are selected, bred, grown … and the discoveries that could change that process.
Plus, we find out what a “spitter” is.
Want to know how science impacts other food you eat? Email us at shortwave@npr.org and we might cover your food of choice on a future episode!
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This episode was produced by Jessica Yung and edited by Rebecca Ramirez. The facts were checked by Tyler Jones. The audio engineer was Kwesi Lee.
