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From: werner@aecom.YU.EDU (Craig Werner)
Newsgroups: sci.med,sci.bio
Subject: Re: Dating age of humans
Message-ID: <1307@aecom.YU.EDU>
Date: Fri, 4-Sep-87 00:53:39 EDT
Article-I.D.: aecom.1307
Posted: Fri Sep  4 00:53:39 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 5-Sep-87 16:50:36 EDT
References: <3867@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu>
Organization: Albert Einstein Coll. of Med., NY
Lines: 32
Xref: mnetor sci.med:3127 sci.bio:634

In article <3867@cit-vax.Caltech.Edu>, palmer@tybalt.caltech.edu (David Palmer) writes:
> Does anybody know what genetic material makes up a fruit (such as an apple).
> Is it the same as the "mother" (host) tree, or is it the same as in
> the seeds.  Are all the seeds in the fruit clones (identical twins)?
> 
> 		David Palmer

	As a matter of botany, an apple is technically not a fruit.  The
apple is an accessory, the fruit is the core.  The seeds are fraternal
twins, not identical, as each arises from a pollen grain (the plant
equivalent of spermatazoa) fertilizing an ovum.
	Hence, the cells of an apple contain the cells of the tree.  The
cells of the fruit (i.e., the core) do similarly.  The seeds are generally
different due to meiotic recombination, although they can be damn similar
if the tree is self-fertilizing.
	While I'm recounting my botany, let me relay the following useless
information:
	The blueberry is not biologically a berry.  
		Like an apple, it is an accessory, with a fruit core.
	The strawberry is not biologically a berry.
		Each "seed" in a strawberry is a complete fruit.
		It is therefore referred to as an aggregate.
	A blackberry is no biologically a berry.
		Ditto.
	An orange.  That's biologically a berry.

	
-- 
	        Craig Werner   (future MD/PhD, 3 years down, 4 to go)
	     werner@aecom.YU.EDU -- Albert Einstein College of Medicine
              (1935-14E Eastchester Rd., Bronx NY 10461, 212-931-2517)
                           "Beware of Yuppies bearing Uzis."