Everyone Was Wrong About Avocados - Including Us

If you’re a fan of avocados, you might have heard that they only exist thanks to prehistoric creatures called giant ground sloths. In fact, you’ve probably heard that from us. But as it turns out, the real story is way more complicated - so here's hank to break down the avocado fact and fiction.

Hosted by: hank green (he/him)

----------

Support scishow by becoming a patron on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/scishow

----------

Huge thanks go to the following Patreon supporters for helping us keep scishow free for everyone forever: Adam Brainard, Alex Hackman, Ash, Bryan Cloer, charles george, Chris Mackey, Chris Peters, Christoph Schwanke, Christopher R Boucher, Eric Jensen, Harrison Mills, Jaap Westera, Jason A, Saslow, Jeffrey Mckishen, Jeremy Mattern, Kevin Bealer, Matt Curls, Michelle Dove, Piya Shedden, Rizwan Kassim, Sam Lutfi

----------

Looking for scishow elsewhere on the internet?

scishow Tangents Podcast: https://scishow-tangents.simplecast.com/

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@scishow

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/scishow

Instagram: http://instagram.com/thescishow

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/scishow

#scishow #science #education #learning #complexly

----------

Sources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=00KGL-HKPhU&ab_channel=scishow

https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?referer=https://en.wikipedia.org/&httpsredir=1&article=1046&context=nebanthro

https://rua.ua.es/dspace/bitstream/10045/15292/1/cuadbiod33_02.pdf

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.215.4528.19

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/quaternary-research/article/abs/lipid-analysis-of-a-ground-sloth-coprolite/3CB7895E343F7A0B2188F8B3CB14031C

https://www.pnas.org/doi/full/10.1073/pnas.0502777102

https://academic.oup.com/jhered/article/100/1/56/771306#13502018

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF02904012

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S104061821500498X

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0033589403000309

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Richard-Farina/publication/233548931_Diet_and_isotopes_of_Late_Pleistocene_ground_sloths_first_results_for_Lestodon_and_Glossotherium_Xenarthra_Tardigrada/links/0c96052e7ac630cd0a000000/Diet-and-isotopes-of-Late-Pleistocene-ground-sloths-first-results-for-Lestodon-and-Glossotherium-Xenarthra-Tardigrada.pdf

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-97996-9

https://www.sci.news/paleontology/tooth-giant-ground-sloth-06974.html

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aau1200

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/353982166_Lestodon_doesn't_want_your_avocado_toast_debunking_the_dietary_myths_of_late_Pleistocene_sloths_Mammalia_Pilosa#fullTextFileContent

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10722-009-9521-4

https://www.jstor.org/stable/1688516

https://www.reddit.com/r/botany/comments/iau56x/why_do_avocados_have_such_a_large_pit/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9789361/

https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.0502777102

Image Sources:

https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/video/fresh-healthy-avocado-on-a-table-stock-footage/638403404

https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/megalonyx-searching-tree-royalty-free-image/467088766

https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/video/avocado-hass-fruit-hanging-at-tree-in-harvest-in-a-stock-footage/804746996

https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/video/feeding-wild-capuchin-monkey-costa-rica-stock-footage/1217626597

https://tinyurl.com/mr2vza3d

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Megalonyx_wheatleyi_-_AMNH_-_DSC06327.JPG

https://tinyurl.com/4knv9ujb

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Megatherium_americanum.jpg

https://tinyurl.com/2s3mwbnk

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Megalonyx_jeffersonii_(1).jpg

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_large_coprolite_(fossilized_feces_or_dinosaur_poop)_from_South_Carolina,_USA..jpg

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Megalonyx_wheatleyi12.jpg

https://tinyurl.com/2bh8nsmb

https://tinyurl.com/3jjad348

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shasta_ground_sloth_front.jpg

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_American_Museum_journal_(c1900-(1918))_(18159848595).jpg

https://tinyurl.com/2975jat6

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rampart_Cave_interior_sloth_dung.jpg

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eremotherium_Lund_1842.png

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Eremotherium_laurillardi_784.jpg

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mylodon_fur.jpg

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mylodon_darwini.png

https://tinyurl.com/28hwuwct

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Paisaje_en_Texcala,_Puebla,_M%C3%A9xico.JPG

https://tinyurl.com/2bh8nsmb

https://tinyurl.com/bdffz89a

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Avocado_Seedling.jpg

https://tinyurl.com/2zyan5m6

https://tinyurl.com/3x2fcjz6

https://tinyurl.com/7mvps824

https://tinyurl.com/fxebxvdv

https://tinyurl.com/2s365tfm

https://tinyurl.com/4a3mhnmr

https://tinyurl.com/m5zzkrp6

https://tinyurl.com/2v2bd8w4