Why are bananas curved in shape?

My mom celebrated her birthday this month and we all got on a video chat! (Peep the Zoom call in the corner.) My niece loves to clap with other people and so she was having a grand time.

You'll have to go back (quite) a few blog posts to find when I first got my expander put in... who knew it would take this long for me to get my braces off?? Some friends told me that the braces were a part of my identity, so without them, what am I?! But seriously, eating is SO EASY again.

Earlier this month, I got to go on a short trip to Boston with Steph and another couple. It was my first time (that I can remember) going to the East Coast. Being someone who grew up on the West Coast (and even now in Dallas), there has never been a rich history to the places I've been. But it was incredible getting to see the sights and walk The Freedom Trail. Going into Paul Revere's house definitely brought out the kid in me who loved him growing up, simply because we had the same name. Anyways, this is a picture of a narrow house that I found somewhere in the city.

We took the ferry from the Charlestown Navy Yard (which opened in 1800 and serviced ships until 1974) to downtown Boston. The view was great, the weather was amazing, and getting to relax on a boat ride in the midst of a full day of walking was the cherry on top.

At the Navy Yard, there is a ship called the USS Constitution. It is the oldest commissioned ship of the US Navy - being one of the original 6 ships that George Washington mandated for the newly formed US Navy in 1794. The craziest part about the ship is how much rope is everywhere, even just looking at this one section pictured!

Thanksgiving was last week! I hope y'all were able to celebrate with loved ones, whether friends or family (or both!). After Thanksgiving lunch at Steph's parents' place, we completed a 1000 piece puzzle and watched some vintage Mr. Bean.

Maybe you didn't ask to learn so much about bananas.

So why are bananas curved? Well firstly, in case you didn't know, bananas grow 'upside-down' in trees! And actually, they're not really trees; because it doesn't have a wood trunk, the plant is actually an herb. And maybe this is a good place to throw in that a banana is technically a berry. 

But back to the main question: in what's known as negative geotropism, bananas curve upwards, growing against gravity, to point towards the sun!

Each hand of bananas will grow under a petal of the flowering plant.

When bananas are first starting to grow, they still point downwards.

But soon after, they start to curve and point upwards towards the sun!

Here you can see them basically ready to be harvested! You wonder how strong the connection between the banana and the stem is that it can defy gravity compared to a banana  that tears itself open when hanging on a banana hook. 😂