Unpeeled with Dr Banana (English & Español) is a podcast where we peel back science, art, and food to meet the humans behind the work.
Through relaxed conversations with scientists, artists, chefs, and creatives, we explore process, curiosity, failure, and the stories that live beneath titles and results.
Ep 16| Mejoramiento Genético del Banano - Resistencia a Fusarium TR4 y Sigatoka|Yelloway| by Fernando Garcia-Bastidas| Dr Banana
🍌 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.
10 May 2026
Episode 15|Sebastien Carpentier|🍌 Listening to Plants: Can Biodiversity Save Banana? Unpeeled with Dr. Banana - Seminar Series
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 🍌
27 Apr 2026
Episode 14| Daria Chrobrok| From Scientist to Sci-Artist & Building my own path outside academia
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.
13 Apr 2026
Episode 13 – Elke Wenting | Life, Death, and Trusting the Process|Scavengers, carcasess, nutrien cycles and more.
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
5 Apr 2026
Episode 12- Dr. Anke Brüning-Richardson | Stopping Brain Cancer in Its Tracks | Unpeeled with Dr Banana - Unpeeled!: Seminar Series
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.
16 Mar 2026
Episode 11 – Dan Koeppel | Bananas, Writing & Creativity
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.
9 Mar 2026
Episodio 10 - Unpeeled with Dr Banana - Microbiota, bacterias tramposas y ciencia que se comunica con Miryam Valenzuela
🍌 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.
6 Mar 2026
Episodio 9: Antes y Después de TR4: La Marchitez por Fusarium en América Latina y el Caribe - Unpeeled with Dr. Banana - Prof. Luis Pocasangre
🍌 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.
27 Feb 2026
Episode 8 with Banana Ink - Tattooing on banana skin - Banana is the Canvas
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.
25 Feb 2026
Episodio 7: Nematodos Enemigos ocultos del cultivo de banano - Seminar Series con Ítalo Arrais
A petición de la respetada audiencia, en este episodio de la Unpeeled Seminar Series conversamos con Ítalo Arrais, ingeniero agrónomo y consultor en bananicultura en Brasil.
Tema: Nematodos: los enemigos ocultos del cultivo de banano.
Hablamos del impacto económico, diagnóstico temprano, manejo preventivo y el desafío de producir de forma sostenible frente a estos organismos microscópicos que pueden causar pérdidas severas.
También exploramos resiliencia, comunicación científica y la importancia de traducir ciencia en decisiones prácticas de campo.
Un episodio para productores, técnicos, investigadores y apasionados del banano.
22 Feb 2026
Episode 6 (English): The WayE of Life: Why Visibility Matters - Unpeeled with Dr Banana |Paul Way| Plogger
Paul Waye, known as Waye of Life, is a professional plogger and environmental activist who runs thousands of kilometres a year while picking up trash, often in a banana suit.
In this episode of Unpeeled with Dr Banana, we talk about creativity, positivity, visibility, and the uncomfortable questions around social media activism. A human, inspiring conversation about choosing joy as a tool for change.
16 Feb 2026
Episode 5 (English) - Leaving the Lab Without Leaving Science — Unpeeled with Dr Banana: Elodie Chabrol
Dr Elodie Chabrol is a neuroscientist turned full-time science communicator, the International Director of Pint of Science, and a freelance consultant helping scientists share their work with clarity and confidence.
In this episode, we talk about leaving academia, freelancing in science communication, public science, fear, freedom, and why science doesn’t belong only in labs.
A human conversation about science beyond the lab coat.
12 Feb 2026
Episodio 4. Entender al cultivo del banano como un sistema vivo Suelo - Planta - Ambiente con Fisiologo Danilo Sánchez
En este episodio del Unpeeled: Seminar Series, conversamos con Jaiver Danilo Sánchez, experto en fisiología y nutrición del cultivo de banano, sobre cómo entender la relación suelo–planta–atmósfera para mejorar la toma de decisiones agronómicas.
Jaiver comparte su experiencia desde la investigación hasta el campo, explicando por qué muchos problemas del cultivo se abordan demasiado tarde y cómo una mejor comprensión de la fisiología vegetal permite pasar de la reacción a la prevención. A través de ejemplos concretos —como el maturity bronzing—, analizamos cómo el estrés ambiental y nutricional se expresa con retraso y cómo anticiparse a esos procesos.
Cerramos con The Banana Question, una reflexión incómoda pero necesaria sobre el manejo actual del banano, y The Peel List, para conocer un poco más a la persona detrás del científico.
Un episodio imprescindible para quienes trabajan con banano, fisiología vegetal y agricultura en ambientes reales
6 Feb 2026
Episodio 3 with Nydia Negromonte - Banana Flowers, Time & Transformation 🍌 | Unpeeled with Dr Banana |
On this episode of Unpeeled with Dr Banana, we talk with Nydia Negromonte, a Peruvian-born visual artist based in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.
Nydia’s work explores plants, food, and organic materials as living processes shaped by time. Using elements such as banana flowers, fruits, and clay, her practice invites growth, decay, and transformation to unfold naturally, turning time into a collaborator rather than something to control.
We talk about plants as carriers of memory, bananas as artistic material, and what happens when art slows down enough to really observe change.
A conversation about attention, impermanence, and the beauty hidden in everyday materials.
🎧 Listen on Spotify and watch the full episode on YouTube.
2 Feb 2026
Episode 2. Unpeeled with Dr. Banana - Peculiaridades del Plátano de Canarias | Seminar Series con Javier López-Cepero
En este episodio del Unpeeled Seminar Series, hablamos con Javier López-Cepero, coordinador del Departamento Técnico de COPLACA, sobre las peculiaridades del sector platanero de Canarias.
Descubre qué hace único al plátano canario, los retos del sector, su integración en la sociedad, los mercados y las buenas prácticas agrarias. Cerramos con The Banana Question y The Peel List, para conocer la visión personal de Javier sobre la producción de plátano y un poco más de él como persona.
30 Jan 2026
Episode 1. Unpeeled with Dr. Banana with Emilia Science — Making STEM Accessible and Fun 🍌
On this episode of Unpeeled with Dr Banana, we chat with Emilia Angelillo — known online as Emilia Science. Emilia is a Cambridge-based science technician, biology teacher, and STEM Ambassador who works to make practical science fun, inclusive, and accessible to learners of all ages.
We talk about her path into science, what it’s really like to work behind the scenes in school labs, and how she uses social media to spark curiosity and challenge stereotypes about science and who it’s for. Whether you’re an educator, a science enthusiast, or just curious, this conversation unpeels what it means to do science in the real world.
Tune in for stories, insights, and inspiration!
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