Imagine tuning into the Sunday morning talk shows and wondering if the politicians and commentators could possibly find something positive to say about one another or the state of affairs in America. Unfortunately, there is a better chance of snowball lasting in a sauna. But suddenly on October 20 there was a surprise: “BREAKING NEWS” moving across the bottom of the screen about an apple developed in Washington State.

Television pundits ignored it; however, the internet was stocked with stories emanating from London to Los Angeles announcing the Cosmic Crisp. Robert Crassweller, a horticulture...