Unpeeled with Dr. Banana

What happens when two banana enthusiasts meet in Kyoto and decide to explore a botanical garden together? A lot of bananas, a few unexpected discoveries, and plenty of conversation.

During the 32nd International Horticultural Congress in Japan, I finally met Gabriel “Gabe” Sachter-Smith, widely known as the Banana Sourcerer. Instead of sitting down for a formal interview, we grabbed our cameras and went looking for bananas at the Kyoto Botanical Garden.

Gabe shares his knowledge of banana diversity, taxonomy, and plant identification as we explore the garden and discover some fascinating banana relatives. Along the way, we talk plants, curiosity, and the things that bring people together. We also take on the Peel List, my quick-fire questions, before ending the day over a plate of omurice.

This episode is a little different: less of a formal interview and more of an improvised adventure with two people who could probably talk about bananas all day.

And since one Kyoto adventure wasn't enough, this is only Part 1.

Welcome back to Unpeeled with Dr. Banana, where science meets stories of art, food, and culture.

Thanks for listening. And remember, there's always another story to peel.

🍌 Unpeeled with Dr. Banana – Seminar Series | Episodio 16

En este episodio especial, Dr. Banana comparte el seminario presentado durante el Congreso Bananero Colombiano organizado por ASBAMA:

🧬 “Mejoramiento genético del banano frente a Fusarium TR4 y la sigatoka negra: desafíos, logros y herramientas moleculares.”

Una conversación científica sobre:

• Fusarium TR4 y sigatoka negra
• Retos del mejoramiento genético del banano
• Diversidad genética
• Herramientas moleculares aplicadas al breeding
• Resultados y avances del programa de mejoramiento
• El futuro sostenible del cultivo del banano

Un episodio dedicado a la ciencia aplicada, la innovación y la necesidad de colaboración global para proteger el futuro del banano.

“El futuro del banano dependerá de nuestra capacidad de combinar ciencia, diversidad genética y colaboración global.”

🍌 Esto es Unpeeled with Dr. Banana, donde pelamos la ciencia con calma, con rigor y con un poco de banano.

This week, we return to bananas.

In this episode of Unpeeled with Dr Banana: Seminar Series, Dr. Sebastien Carpentier explores one of the biggest questions facing global agriculture:

Can biodiversity save the future of banana?

We discuss climate change, Fusarium TR4, innovation, genomics, resilience, and the future beyond Cavendish, connecting cutting-edge science with the realities of farmers and food systems.

A deep and timely conversation on the future of one of the world’s most consumed fruits.

🎙️ Featuring:
• Scientific seminar
• The Banana Questions and the Peel List 🍌

What happens when you don’t choose between science and art… but combine them?

In this episode of Unpeeled with Dr Banana, I sit down with Daria Chrobok, founder of DC SciArt, scientific illustrator, and technical editor.

Daria’s journey started in biology from studying in Germany, working in the US, to completing a PhD in plant physiology in Sweden. But during her PhD, something clicked: scientists are constantly trying to visualize their work… and not always successfully.

So she built her own path.

Today, she runs her own company, helping scientists communicate their work through powerful, clear, and beautiful illustrations.

In this episode, we unpeel:

🎨 The intersection between science and art
🧬 Why scientific illustration matters more than ever
🚀 The transition from academia to entrepreneurship
💡 Creativity, curiosity, and building your own career
🤖 The role of AI in art and scientific communication

And of course:

🍌 The Banana Questions
⚡ The Peel List

This is a conversation about freedom, creativity, and designing your own path in science and beyond.

What happens after life ends?

In this episode of Unpeeled with Dr Banana, I sit down with Elke Wenting, a Dutch postdoc working on scavengers, carcasses, and nutrient cycles — exploring how death is not the end, but a crucial part of life in ecosystems.

This conversation is also personal.

Elke was one of the very first guests on my previous series Coffee Break with Banana Man during the pandemic — and one of the few episodes that still lives on YouTube. Since then, her journey has continued in unexpected ways: from PhD to postdoc, from the Netherlands to Spain, from certainty to embracing the unknown.

In this episode we unpeel:

🌿 The science of decomposition and scavenger ecosystems
🧬 Why carcasses are essential for nutrient cycles
🌍 Moving abroad and building a life as a postdoc
💡 Doing things you once said you’d never do
📱 Sharing “unusual” science on social media
🧠 Mental health, identity, and trust in the process

And of course:

🍌 The Banana Questions
⚡ The Peel List

This is a conversation about science, curiosity, courage, and embracing the unexpected path.

🎧 Available on YouTube and Spotify

In this episode of Unpeeled with Dr Banana – Seminar Series, I speak with Anke Brüning-Richardson from the University of Huddersfield.

We explore a powerful idea in cancer research:
👉 What if we stop cancer cells from moving instead of only trying to kill them?

We discuss:

🧠 Brain tumours and why they are so difficult to treat
🧬 Cell migration and tumour recurrence
🔬 New approaches using 3D and animal-free models
💡 Curiosity, scientific questions, and research mindset

A conversation about science, purpose, and asking better questions.

n this episode of Unpeeled with Dr Banana, I speak with journalist and author Dan Koeppel, best known for his influential book Banana: The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World.

We talk about:

🍌 The global story of bananas
✍️ The process of writing deeply researched books
🎙️ Tips for interviews and communicating complex ideas
🌍 Agriculture, monoculture, and the future of bananas
💡 Creativity, curiosity, and inspiration

We finish with the Banana Questions and the Peel List — the signature segments of the show.

A conversation about science, storytelling, food, and the people behind the ideas.

🍌 En este episodio de Unpeeled: Seminar Series conversamos con la Dra. Miryam Valenzuela, investigadora chilena especialista en microbiología y microbiota vegetal.

Además de su seminario científico, hablamos sobre su trayectoria, su vida en la ciencia y su reciente inclusión en la Tabla de Mujeres Científicas Chilenas, una iniciativa que destaca a investigadoras que han contribuido significativamente al desarrollo del conocimiento en el país.

También conversamos sobre comunicación científica, el desafío de explicar la ciencia al público y el rol de las nuevas generaciones de científicas.

Fue una charla muy agradable, llena de anécdotas, reflexiones sobre la vida académica y experiencias dentro del mundo de la investigación.

Y por supuesto, la Dra. Valenzuela también pasó por nuestros segmentos clásicos:

🍌 The Banana Questions
🍌 The Peel List

Un episodio cercano, inspirador y lleno de ciencia.

🍌 En este episodio de la Unpeeled Seminar Series conversamos con el Prof. Dr. Luis Pocasangre Enamorado, Director General del CATIE y referente internacional en agricultura tropical.

Seminario:
“Antes y Después de TR4: La Marchitez por Fusarium en América Latina y el Caribe.”

Analizamos el impacto del TR4 en la región, los desafíos que enfrenta la industria bananera y las oportunidades que surgen en este nuevo escenario fitosanitario.

Además, hablamos de su trayectoria profesional, su relación de décadas con Fusarium, su experiencia internacional y su nueva etapa liderando CATIE.

Y como ya es tradición, lo llevamos al límite en:

🍌 The Banana Questions
🍌 The Peel List

Un episodio muy esperado, con un profesional profundamente apreciado en América Latina y reconocido en el mundo.

Tattooing. Fear. Permission to try.

This episode of Unpeeled with Dr Banana features Przemysław “Sasky” Sasor, creator of BananaInk — a travelling tattoo project that lets anyone experience tattooing without permanence, pressure, or pain.

A conversation about art, courage, mistakes, and why sometimes the safest place to begin… is a banana.