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When you chow down on a banana, you might often see a black bit at the end and it looks a bit gross. But what is it? Some people think it is the seed, but these are found down the middle, if at all, as the Cavendish variety of bananas, which is commonly sold typically doesn’t produce any seeds. It is actually something completely different. Bananas are technically berries and the black bit is the nub of the flower from which the giant banana berry grew. Bananas grow on trees in bunches, and the end is actually the top of the fruit while the hard stalk is the bottom. But given most people eat bananas by snapping off the stalk first, the residual flower nub is left at the end. This black bit is entirely edible but people often throw it away because it has a tough texture and a bitter taste. So now you know, there is nothing stopping you from getting one of your five a day. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

SoftBank's chip designer Arm Holdings is set to debut on the Nasdaq on Thursday, in what is expected

First, they came for our energy bills. Now, they’re waging war on our beloved fish and chips. When will the tyranny end? Probably not any time soon and certainly not in Padstow, where Rick Stein has decided to add a £2 surcharge for extras like gravy, curry sauce and aioli at his fish and chippy. Apparently even celebrity can’t protect you from “food inflation, energy costs and rising wages”. Naturally, all hell broke loose among Padstow punters, who were outraged at the additional cost to their already £20 order. “I’ve always felt that there’s something of the night about him,” one decried. “Let’s boycott it,” exclaimed another. Let me add an unpopular opinion to the opprobrium. Back off, penny pinchers. Ketchup doesn’t come for free just because you decided to dine at Stein’s. It’s a product like any other, and it comes with a price. Why should Stein, or any other restaurant, have to pay it? As a restaurant critic, I’m aware that dinner is getting quite dear. But my advice for anyone complaining about prices is: have some perspective. My initial thoughts on hearing the news from Padstow were twofold. Firstly, if you don’t want to pay upwards of £20 for fish and chips, why don’t you just… go somewhere else? Stein’s is hardly the only joint in town. It’s also not the highest rated so if you are splashing the cash, splash it elsewhere. Secondly, what do people expect? Prices are going up in every aspect of our lives. Restauranteurs aren’t immune to that – they face exactly the same problems we do, if not more. The only thing alarming about the news is that even a brand as big as Rick Stein’s is struggling to survive. For a sachet of Heinz mayonnaise, sure, Stein should probably suck it up (though I imagine that, too, costs more these days). But is it so far-fetched to charge for condiments that are made in house, on the day, with quality ingredients, by trained chefs? Yes, Stein could just plonk it onto his already extortionate prices (£16.95 for cod and chips? You must be joking), but I imagine you might have a thing or two to say about that as well. At least he’s giving you the choice of paying for condiments at all. If you replicated the recipe at home, I’d be surprised if you could get the ingredients for under £2 in the supermarket. That perspective should extend to the impact our changing climate has had on fishing. We’re catching far fewer fish, which has driven up the price of a catch by 11 per cent in the last year. Politics also plays a role, where tariffs on Russia, which previously supplied 40 per cent of white fish in the UK, have forced fishermen to cast their nets elsewhere. The cost of vegetable oil has also gone up by 80p per litre. Given the fish and chip industry uses somewhere in the region 100,000 tons of the stuff, that’s an enormous cost for restaurants to shoulder. Even potatoes are heading upwards of £400 per ton due to increased fertiliser costs and the impact of last year’s hot summer. Then there’s the energy crisis – businesses don’t enjoy a price cap. You can see what I’m getting at. It’s a perfect storm. While arguments that a business as big as Stein’s should be able to absorb the costs somewhere in the empire are totally fair, the news reflects the struggle of all restaurants to reconcile spiralling costs with diner expectations. Earlier this year, Mandy Yin, owner of London laksa bar Sambal Shiok, responded to complaints from diners that prices were too high with a detailed breakdown of how much it costs to produce a single dish. From a portion of their £13 fried chicken, the business only makes 30p. This whole debacle also reminds me of a conversation I had recently with Charlie Bigham, a household name mainly for his boujie “ready meals” (he despises the term). When I asked him to justify why his fish pie now costs around £10 for two people, he gave me the usual spiel about rising costs etcetera, then asked: but why are we so obsessed with paying less and less for food? If we care about the quality of the produce, the impact on the environment and fair pay for the people that work in the industry, shouldn’t we be prepared to pay a bit more? For those lucky enough to be in the contingent that can afford fish and chips, £2 curry sauce might not be the hill to die on. Don’t get me wrong: I think it’s outrageous. But I don’t blame the restaurants. Next time you’re in Padstow, a little understanding, perspective and kindness would go a long way. Read More London’s best new restaurants: From Spanish-Welsh fusion at Mountain to British kitsch at 20 Berkeley The dish that defines me: Michele Pascarella’s Neapolitan ragu Is bottomless prosecco going to be killed off by climate change?

It feels like this year, more than any other, we’re seeing a stream of science stories that continue to blow our minds. Every day is a school day online in 2023, and a host of studies, research papers and headline-making breakthroughs have completely changed our understanding of the world around us at every turn. There have been missions to the moon and findings about our planet which could turn everything we thought we knew on its head – not to mention baffling hearings on UFOs taking place in the US congress. These are the biggest science stories so far this year that have caught our attention in a big way. https://www.indy100.com/science-tech/ocean-beneath-earth-crust-ringwoodite-2665333030 Test Test Scientists discover continent that had been missing for 375 years Geoscientists discovered a continent that had been hiding in plain sight for almost 375 years. Historically, there's been speculation about whether a continent known as Zealandia or Te Riu-a-Māui in the Māori language exists. Read more here. 'Alien corpses' unveiled in Mexico divide conspiracy theorists Christmas has come early for UFO watchers, with the alleged corpses of real-life aliens displayed for the world to see. The startling revelation came during a congress hearing in Mexico City on Tuesday, titled the Public Assembly for the Regulation of Unidentified Anomalous Aerial Phenomena (UAP). During the session, which was streamed online, Mexican ufologist Jaime Maussan presented what he claimed were two perfectly preserved “non-human entities”. Read more here. Buy now , Massive ocean discovered beneath the Earth's crust containing more water than on the surface People are only just realising that there’s a massive ocean hidden under the Earth’s crust. It turns out there’s a huge supply of water 400 miles underground stored in rock known as 'ringwoodite'. Scientists previously discovered that water is stored inside mantle rock in a sponge-like state, which isn’t a liquid, solid or a gas, but instead a fourth state. Read more here. Buy now , Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings

Power generation in Nigeria, a major oil and gas producer, fell to zero megawatts early on Thursday.

New Zealand should rack up a pile of points against Namibia on Friday in Toulouse the Rugby World Cup

Harry Maguire's mother responds to ongoing criticism of her son, labelling the abuse as "disgraceful" and "unacceptable".

Leonardo Bonucci has lashed out at Juventus over his departure from the club.

The World Bank's Turkey director said on Thursday that the economy was heading in the right direction but

Plus-size model Ashley Graham took to the runway in a glamorous corset for the Harris Reed show. The show marked the informal start of London Fashion Week – officially running from September 15-19. Graham donned a black gown with a shimmering gold corset and a sweeping shawl, as part of the 10 look show. This isn’t the first time Reed has worked with Graham, 35, having dressed her in a sculptural pale pink and black gown for the 2023 Met Gala. Reed’s catwalks are typically dramatic – previous shows have had performances from actor Florence Pugh and singer Sam Smith – and this season was no different. Entitled ‘Duet’, the collection was inspired by Old Hollywood styles, mixing together masculinity and feminity. Designs on the catwalk used deadstock black velvet and white duchess satin with pops of gold, and played around with exaggerated proportions. One of the standout looks of the show was a black and white evening gown with statement shoulders and a revealing low cut-out at the back – which could have been inspired by the low-slung ‘bumster’ trousers popularised by Alexander McQueen in the Nineties. The largely monochrome nature of the collection was punctuated by metallic accents, with silver and pearl half-moon breast cups on one look, showcasing Reed’s partnership with London-based jewellery brand Missoma. The show was accompanied by vocals from Cosima, a Peckham-born singer-songwriter who wore an off-the-shoulder black and white gown to perform. Watching front row at the Tate Modern in London were activist and model Monroe Bergdorf, Game Of Thrones actress Maisie Williams and Bridgerton’s Charithra Chandran. The show was inspired by Virginia Woolf’s 1928 historical novel Orlando, often seen as one of the earliest representations of trans identity in English language literature. Reed cited the quote: “Different though the sexes are, they intermix. In every human being a vacillation from one sex to the other takes place, and often it is only the clothes that keep the male or female likeness, while underneath the sex is the very opposite of what is above.” Backstage, Reed expressed the need for LGBTQ+ representation. “It’s more important today than ever, because we are seeing so much more hate on the streets. I think it’s getting rapidly more aggressive and more unsafe to be queer and queer presenting in the city,” the Evening Standard reported him as saying. “Casting trans and non-binary individuals in my show potentially runs the risk of turning off some of my Middle Eastern and Asian clients. “As a designer, I walk a very fine balance of not offending too many people to equal sales and build my brand, but I still need to stand behind my messaging.” Reed’s designs are often concerned with gender fluidity and theatricality, both at his eponymous label and in his role as creative director of French fashion house Nina Ricci. In January 2024 he will publish his first book, called Fluid: A Fashion Revolution. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Football legend Michael Owen: My four kids all have opinions about my fashion choices How homeowners are creating pet-specific stylish spaces Sex Education season 4: How vintage finds help characters get their unique style

Ashraf Ali says it took days for him to learn if relatives were safe in devastating flooding in Libya.

By Rishika Sadam HYDERABAD, India India's Goa state has warned the local unit of Abbott Laboratories it plans