Figs are considered by many as a delicious delicacy. Rich in antioxidants and vitamins, figs are sweet and juicy, soft on the outside, and crunchy on the inside.
Figs have been domesticated for over 11,000 years, and many varieties must be pollinated. But you're about to hear some news that may put you off figs forever. Experts are saying that the figs we eat contain the bodies of dead wasps.
Um… what?!
Courtesy of Nova's "Gross Science" series, you're about to hear just how figs are pollinated.
It all starts with "fig wasps," who carry the pollen. Most pregnant female wasps lose their wings and antennae in the process of trying to pollenate the fig's female flowers. In trying to find a home for her babies, these wasps drop a fertilized egg into as many of the flowers as possible.
Since she can't get to all of them, she ends up fertilizing the rest of the flowers with fig pollen, which develop seeds.
Once the wasp finishes laying eggs, the female wasp typically dies inside the fig. But the story gets even crazier from there — watch the video below to find out what happens when the eggs start hatching!
"One wasp here and there doesn't deter me from eating these things," says the host, Anna Rothschild. Yikes! Do you agree?
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