NPF: SCIENCE!
Isn't science great? It's out there every day finding ways to cure diseases, feed the hungry, help the environment, and make the inconveniences of modern life a little less inconvenient. Without the scientific advances of the last century our average lifespan would be 25 years shorter and mankind would still be spending the vast majority of its human capital trying not to starve to death every winter. Every day the billions of dollars funneled into scientific research and development yield new rewards to humanity.
New Mexico State University's chili breeding program has created a new "extra large, medium hot jalapeno pepper precisely optimized for jalapeno poppers." The NuMex Jalmundo will change the menus at bowling alleys forever.
The peppers, created at NMSU's Chile Pepper Institute, are a hybrid of bell pepper and jalapeno. The bell pepper provided a larger interior cavity, perfect for stuffing with cheese and then frying. The Jalmundo has a heat level of 17,000 Scoville Heat Units, about double the average jalapeno pepper, but still well below the 1,359,000 of the Naga Viper.
As for the name, Paul Bosland — the co-founder of the nonprofit Chile Pepper Institute — explained…the name Jalmundo is a contraction of jalapeno and the Spanish word for world (mundo), implying that it is as big as the world.
Well, now that we've settled that…
January 21st, 2011 at 1:48 am
Awesome. Because they weren't fattening enough already. These will go nicely with the new stomach-sized Starbuck's drink.
I'm tired, so forgive the rambling, but it crossed my mind today that we can't have a meaningful discussion about health care in this country without involving the topic of food/ag policy.
January 21st, 2011 at 2:06 am
Long live science… and the painful explosive diarhea caused thereby.
January 21st, 2011 at 7:53 am
So I'm wondering–did the feds pony up the grant money for that research, or was it a private entity.
Oh, well. I guess at least we won't have to hear the right-wingers bitch about this kind of research.
January 21st, 2011 at 7:57 am
Science doesn't have to be ALL dreary warnings about the imminent death of our species. Sometimes it can be used for just pleasure. This is like saying that because of lolcats, the internet is a failure.
January 21st, 2011 at 8:38 am
A spicy bell pepper sounds delicious, actually. Keep at it, scientists!
January 21st, 2011 at 9:36 am
How on earth is this institute non-profit, when they're presumably making this for profit?
Or does the welfare of bowling alleys promote the advancement of humanity?
January 21st, 2011 at 9:42 am
@Zebbidie-Like Viagra? And breast enlargement. And penis enlargement. And prvivate space travel! Improve the distillation of alcohol for better Gin and genetically engineered corn for superior Tacos!
January 21st, 2011 at 9:55 am
Zebbidie, I feel very strongly that lolcats MAY be the internet's second-greatest SUCCESS.
(after jamesvandermeme.com Gin and Tacos, of course.)
January 21st, 2011 at 9:55 am
hmm, no strikethrough tags allowed? Boooo!
January 21st, 2011 at 10:00 am
Non-profits, make money, they just don't funnel "Profits" to owners/employees/share holders. The reinvest the "surplus" & use it to reach their goals. In this case a spicy bell pepper. (There are also ownership differences between non-profits & for profit companies. Non-profits cannot be individually owned as a specific example.)
January 21st, 2011 at 10:02 am
I'm still trying to determine if you're taking the piss with this one…
January 21st, 2011 at 10:15 am
Laugh it up…
I'm with HoosierPoli: it sounds wonderful.
In addition, I'm an enthusiastic supporter of science, even before the practical application arrives. So, even if you think the production of popper-destined peppers isn't worthwhile, the process involved may yield more useful hybridization techniques (by your utility function)
(Also, I sincerely hope that there was some *science* here, and not just breeding/engineering. That is, was the end-product the only new thing (engineering) or was the process and data collection important (science)?
January 21st, 2011 at 10:47 am
We don't need no steenking Jalmundo!
I laugh at your 17,000 Scoville units. Mi perro's breath is hotter than that…
//bb
January 21st, 2011 at 11:37 am
It's all a hoax, a promo for next summer's Hollywood blockbuster: The Attack Of The 50-Foot Jalapeno
January 21st, 2011 at 12:10 pm
Wondering if the broncoberry is a cross between a stallion and a rasberry.
Arbys!
January 21st, 2011 at 12:22 pm
I'd be more impressed if the peppers made their own cheese.
January 21st, 2011 at 12:28 pm
Mmm, two things.
1) Basically, all of the citrus fruits that we eat –lemons, oranges, grapefruit, &c– are fake; man-created hybrids. So it ain't like this is a NEW new use for science or anything.
2) Heh, gotta love New Mexico. I hope to move back there one day soon.
January 21st, 2011 at 3:14 pm
I now know what I will do with my biotech degree: a tree that can be tapped to produce Nacho Cheese!
January 21st, 2011 at 4:18 pm
That's in my state! We love our chile in New Mexico–and yes, it is spelled "chile," so whoever wrote "chili pepper" in the first sentence of that story should be strung up and fed Scotch Bonnet CHILES. Oh, and "Jalmundo" is pronounced "Halmoondo." For all you Spanish-impaired out there.
January 21st, 2011 at 4:19 pm
Wondering if the broncoberry is a cross between a stallion and a rasberry.
Worse. A cross between a bronchial tube and a rasperry.
January 21st, 2011 at 4:38 pm
Surprising to see NMSU receive mention here. I recently re-enrolled in NMState to pursue my MS (Engineering). As an undergrad I worked in the same building that the "Chile Institute" was located, for the soil science department and I'd occasionally see Bosland walking the halls. They're always trying to breed the hottest chile, among other things there.
Interestingly, Dr. Bosland was awarded the Ig Nobel Prize for breeding a spice-less chile pepper in 1999. He occasionally shows up in plant-related documentaries too.
January 21st, 2011 at 5:02 pm
@ bob_is_boring:
1) Basically, all of the citrus fruits that we eat –lemons, oranges, grapefruit, &c– are fake; man-created hybrids. So it ain't like this is a NEW new use for science or anything.
Having found much hilarity in the infamous fundie-christian Kirk Cameron "atheist's nightmare" Christian banana video, which is so priceless if you haven't seen it, I was shocked to learn a few years ago that bananas haven't had sex in 10,000 years.
Man, I know how they feel. BA-DA-DUM. Thank you folks, I'm here every night …
January 21st, 2011 at 7:00 pm
Beale -
Man, I know how they feel.
Now, you're just making stuff up.
JzB
January 21st, 2011 at 7:48 pm
@ jazzbumpa
Almost!!!!
:-)
January 22nd, 2011 at 8:51 am
@Southern Beale: KC is an inbreed moron: Read this…
(you may like the part about the "twins")
http://www.damninteresting.com/
Broncoberry is a breakfast cereal.
@Jude: Of course they get FED cash and ConArga, ADM, Monstanto, Dow, Dupont as well and Fed monies from
those agribizes
January 22nd, 2011 at 8:52 am
You can all read the thing…
But they don't call it "Damn Interesting" for nutt'n
January 22nd, 2011 at 8:53 am
Just somebody sent the link to KC and his banana buddy.
January 22nd, 2011 at 9:28 am
@Tosh:
Yeah that story I linked to was about how they need to genetically modify bananas with a rice gene because they have no defenses against a fungus, as they haven't had sex in 10,000 years. Hilarious.
Years and years ago …. like back in the '80s … I ran across some Kirk Cameron types at Tony Roma's in Santa Monica. They were sitting next to us and talking REALLY LOUDLY about how wonderful God is to have created this delicious barbecue, it just proves that God loves us, right? Now, I'm a church-goer but I'm more of the mainstream social-justice Presbyterian variety, not the PROCLAIM GOD'S EXISTENCE IN BARBECUE type, and I was horrified when my mother tried to engage them in conversation just to stir shit up. The young woman was really happy to tell me that some scientist at Princeton has proved that evolution doesn't exist! I just thought: what a bunch of horseshit.
Anyway, I don't know if it's economic evolution or what but Tony Roma's declared bankruptcy, didn't it? I do know I don't see their restaurants around anymore.
January 22nd, 2011 at 6:12 pm
This is good news for chili rellenos, ¡también!
January 22nd, 2011 at 9:04 pm
Have they tried showing the trees some banana porn yet?
January 24th, 2011 at 4:36 pm
I clicked through to find out where the funding came from, but the actual paper, which would probably mention that, would cost $10 from HortScience journal. Not that interested.
However, I found the link where you can order these and many other varieties:
http://www.chilepepperinstitute.org/cart/seeds/nmsu_varieties/