Spaces of banana control. A visit to one of the four major artificial banana ripening facilities in New York City, for a research seminar on the "Artificial Cryosphere." The article is jam-packed with great "did-you-know" factoids:
- "The energy coming off a box of ripening bananas could heat a small apartment."
- There are seven standard degrees of ripeness offered by banana distributors, from all green to yellow with brown "sugar spots."
- Because ethylene, the ripening agent, is highly flammable, fatal banana ripening room incidents were common in the early days of this process.
