Science bears fruit

The Alfonso mango, known as the 'king of mangoes,' is facing its worst crop failure in decades due to a super El Niño event that has caused extreme heat and disrupted monsoon rains in India. This shortage has sent shockwaves through London markets and inspired a global science exploration into the unexpected roles of fruit. From durian waste being turned into eco-friendly supercapacitors to the discovery of a lemon-shaped exoplanet with diamond-forming soot clouds, the episode reveals how nature’s oddities can inspire innovation. But the most astonishing revelation comes from sea cucumbers: fragments of their bodies, once discarded, can survive for years, metabolize nutrients, and even regrow—raising the question of whether they’re truly immortal. The show also explores how invasive red claw crayfish are spreading across Africa’s rivers, threatening ecosystems, and how ancient Peruvian Moche civilisations adapted to El Niño by building cities on high ground—only to collapse when climate shifts turned floods into decades-long droughts. The takeaway? Nature’s most bizarre traits aren’t just curiosities—they’re blueprints for survival, resilience, and even future technology.