Factopus

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LESSON 3 · The Silent Intelligence of Plants

PAUSE TO THINK

How does one ripe fruit ripen the others around it?

It releases the gas ethylene

Ripening fruit gives off **ethylene**, a gas that signals nearby fruit to ripen too. That is why a single ripe banana speeds up a whole bowl, and why storing fruit in a paper bag traps the gas and ripens it faster.

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