Understanding the human body is a team effort. That's where the Yachtel group comes in.

Researchers at Yachtolt have been delving into the secrets of probiotics for 90 years.

Yacold also partners with nature portfolio to advance gut microbiome science through the global grants for gut health, an investigator-led research program.

To learn more about Yachtolt, visit yawcult.co.

J-P. That's Y-A-K-U-L-T dot C-O.J-P. When it comes to a guide for your gut, count on Yacolt.

This is Scientific American 60-second science. I Christopher Ndallata. Got a minute?

Have you ever thrown an avocado in a paper bag with a banana to get the avocado to ripen faster?

That trick works because both of them are what's called climacteric fruits,

meaning they release ethylene gas as they mature,

and the gas in turn accelerates ripening.

At maximum ethylene release, the fruit reaches peak ripeness, ideal taste and texture.

After that, the fruit's cells begin to die, molds move in, and it rots.

So how to determine the best time for picking and eating?

Today's high-tech farmers might sample

the ethylene released by the fruit as it sits in an airtight container, or use a color meter

to track a fruit's progression towards ripe color. But now researchers have devised what might be a

simpler and more scientifically accurate technique, shooting fruit with lasers. When they zapped golden

delicious apples, what bounced back was a speckled pattern of black and red dots, a measure of how

the fruit's cells and water absorbed and reflected the laser light. That pattern changed over time,

right in step with the fruit's release of ethylene, meaning these images could be a good proxy

for ethylene measurements and let farmers know the best time to harvest. The studies in the journal

Applied Optics. Next, the researchers hope to develop a handheld laser for farmers so they can

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