Research2 sources
The “dark magic mushroom” co-produces amatoxins and psilocybin
Current Biology · By Andrew R. Kunik, Michael W. Christopher, Benjamin Lemmond, Bryn T.M. Dentinger, Jason C. Slot, Timothy J. Garrett & Matthew E. Smith ·
The Brief · written from 2 sources
- Researchers led by Kunik et al. report a little brown mushroom found in Florida's swamps that co-produces psilocybin and amatoxins.
- Psilocybin is the psychedelic compound of 'magic mushrooms'; amatoxins are the toxins found in the world's deadliest mushrooms.
- Evolutionary analyses suggest the psychedelic genes were acquired via a process the source excerpt does not fully describe.
Why it matters
A single mushroom producing both a psychedelic and a deadly toxin means that visual identification of 'magic mushrooms' alone may not reliably indicate safety, and it challenges assumptions about how these compound families are distributed among fungi.
Who’s affected
- mycologists and fungal ecologists
- toxicologists and poison control professionals
- foragers and anyone handling wild mushrooms
- #mycology
- #psilocybin
- #amatoxins
- #mushroom toxicity
- #fungal evolution
Kunik et al. discover that a little brown mushroom found in Florida’s swamps co-produces the psychedelic compounds of “magic mushrooms” and amatoxins like those found in the world’s deadliest mushrooms. Evolutionary analyses suggest that the psychedelic genes were acquired via…
Timeline
Study by Kunik et al. published in Current Biology reporting the dark magic mushroom co-producing amatoxins and psilocybin
cell.com
The “dark magic mushroom” co-produces amatoxins and psilocybin
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cell.com
The “dark magic mushroom” co-produces amatoxins and psilocybin