this post was submitted on 16 Jun 2024
515 points (97.8% liked)

Science Memes

11081 readers
2729 users here now

Welcome to c/science_memes @ Mander.xyz!

A place for majestic STEMLORD peacocking, as well as memes about the realities of working in a lab.



Rules

  1. Don't throw mud. Behave like an intellectual and remember the human.
  2. Keep it rooted (on topic).
  3. No spam.
  4. Infographics welcome, get schooled.

This is a science community. We use the Dawkins definition of meme.



Research Committee

Other Mander Communities

Science and Research

Biology and Life Sciences

Physical Sciences

Humanities and Social Sciences

Practical and Applied Sciences

Memes

Miscellaneous

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 
all 25 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 126 points 5 months ago (6 children)

Actually, apple varieties are preserved via grafting. If you take an apple seed, the tree that will grow from it only has 50% of the DNA of the tree that made the apple. So there is absolutely no guarantee that the taste was preserved across generations.

[–] [email protected] 64 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Damn it! That was my bit of esoteric plant kkowlwdge

[–] [email protected] 20 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Lol me too. 30 minutes late I guess.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Likewise, fellow apple nerds.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

Actually, even if you bred an apple tree with itself, due to the genetic recombination of recessive genes, the same thing happens. So it's more complicated than 50% of the genes missing.

[–] [email protected] 25 points 5 months ago
[–] [email protected] 12 points 5 months ago

Human: I love this apple, I will plant its seeds so I can grow more myself.

Apple tree: Crabapples crabappley

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 months ago

I thought that was what made the meme funny…

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

Apple grafting is incredibly easy and cheap. All you need is a bit of knowledge, a utility knife, cheap flagging tape and ordinary waterproof wood glue. Planning to procure scions and watching for the bark slip is necessary - usually right around when buds start to break. My first graft was successful. Now I graft all the time. Peaches were a problem for me until I learned that they must be grafted after blossoms drop - usually later than ideal apple grafting time.

[–] [email protected] 51 points 5 months ago (2 children)

Apples do not grow true from seed, you get a new variety unless you clone.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago

Just like humans.

[–] [email protected] 34 points 5 months ago (2 children)

It blows my mind how many apple varieties ("cultivars") exist.

Spoiler: over 7,000!

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_apple_cultivars

[–] [email protected] 11 points 5 months ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 12 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Yeah, the other number wasn't even close. I don't think you'd even be able to fit that many ~~on earth~~ in the ~~solar system~~ galaxy.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Sorry, I'm confused by these comments. I typed "7,000". In the US, that translates as "seven thousand". What is wrong with that?

[–] [email protected] 15 points 5 months ago (1 children)

It's a joke. 7000! mathematically is 7000 factorial. Which means 7000 x 6999 x 6998...

You can see why orchard space might be a problem.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 5 months ago

Oh... 7000! thanks.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

I got one!, there are only 3 trees in existence (only 1 mature enough to fruit and 2 cuttings) rn and the apples taste kinda like pears but with an apple texture.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 5 months ago

Guy from the maths problem

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago

rat-salute I can only imagine how many useful genes that saves.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 5 months ago

From my hometown!

[–] [email protected] -5 points 5 months ago