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submitted 3 weeks ago by fossilesque@mander.xyz to c/science_memes@mander.xyz

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[-] jet@hackertalks.com 80 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Honey?

Ohh, figs

A small opening or ostiole, visible on the middle of the fruit, is a narrow passage that allows the specialized fig wasp, Blastophaga psenes, to enter the inflorescence and pollinate the flowers, after which each fertilized ovule (one per flower, in its ovary) develops into a seed. At maturity, these 'seeds' (actually single-seeded fruits) line the inside of each fig.

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

[-] Luccus@feddit.org 103 points 3 weeks ago

As someone who grows figs in their living room:

Most commercial (and even hobbyist) fig varieties are parthenocarpic, meaning they don't require pollination.

And fig wasps don't look like that. They're tiny little guys that most people would probably mistake for a very small ant.

And even if the fig was pollinated by a wasp, it uses enzymes to break down the insects body, to protect itself from mold and other pathenogens that such may cause.

Basically; fig waps are itsy bitsy wittle wupies, while figs are digesting their dead mothers corpses, because they are metal as fuuuuuck.

[-] fossilesque@mander.xyz 7 points 3 weeks ago

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

[-] loaExMachina@sh.itjust.works 13 points 3 weeks ago

Not a fig wasp. In fact, the article for Apoica Pallens doesn't mention figs even once. It says that they're used in folk medecine in Brazil, but that's far from it being a popular food...