“If ever a plant needed biotechnology to help it, it’s the banana.” That, according to the LA Times, who says scientists all over the world are sipping daiquiris at the news that researchers in France were finally able to sequence the banana’s genome. Apparently, the fruit is so sterile, it takes several hundred just to produce a couple seeds. The breakthrough will help farmers grow heartier, disease-resistant bananas, the world’s fourth most important crop.

The Washington Post says with the Olympic Games less than three weeks away, authorities are bracing for a dark threat: English weather. London, “a city universally besmirched as climatically challenged,” is having an especially unpleasant run this summer, recording the wettest quarter since 1910.

A judge has blocked a Mississippi law that requires doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a local hospital. But because the two physicians in the state who perform the procedure at the state’s only abortion clinic do not have those privileges, the law would, in effect, make it impossible to receive an abortion in the state, says the New York Times.

Why are new shoes always such a pain in the…foot? The Wall Street Journal says, regardless of the price-tag, all shoes require a period of—usually painful—breaking in. To address complaints, some manufacturers are trying to lessen the time and suffering it takes to get used to new shoes, experimenting with layers placed under the forefoot (the area between the ball of your foot and the toes), which is the source of almost all shoe discomfort.

Some exciting news for fans of classic Coach in the Wall Street Journal this morning. For years, the handbag company has concentrated on producing products covered with its ‘C’ logo, aimed mostly at teenagers. But the brand just announced it will start manufacturing its classic designs for the Fall 2012 season. Called the Legacy Collection, the iconic shapes are unchanged—the only thing that’s been added are cellphone pockets.

New York Times tech writer Sam Grobart says most of the stuff that comes up when paging through a laptop buying guide is information you can skip. In today’s paper, Grobart puts together an updated guide, listing only the features you should concern yourself with—weight, screen size, battery life—and ignoring things like ‘model of the graphics card.’

Culinary hero Marion Cunningham died yesterday at her California home, reports the San Francisco Chronicle this morning. She was 90 years old. Cunningham was a home cook, who became a celebrated author and mentor to generations of aspiring chefs. She’s probably most famous for penning “The Fannie Farmer Cookbook” and for discovering chef Alice Waters, of Chez Panisse fame.

Baby Hope and Chilly Pasternak are getting married. And their wedding, which is expected to cost around $250,000, is on track to set a Guinness World Record—for the most expensive pet wedding in history. The price tag includes a $6,000 custom wedding dress, $5,000 worth of sushi, and a $15,000 seven-piece orchestra.