Scientists Uncover Evolutionary Past of Hallucinogenic 'Magic' Mushrooms

[CLICKHEREx]

09-08-2013, 11:27
Phungushead
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Scientists Uncover Evolutionary Past of Hallucinogenic 'Magic' Mushrooms

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Hallucinogenic "magic" mushrooms are well known for their ability to affect those who eat them. Yet researchers have long wondered exactly where these mushrooms fit in the fungal family tree. Now, scientists have uncovered the evolutionary past of this fungi, revealing a bit more about them and their potential use in medicinal applications.

Hallucinogenic mushrooms have been used for centuries in rituals, medicinally or just recreationally. In fact, ancient people in Central America used to actively ingest these mushrooms for the extrasensory perceptual effects it gave them in order to better assess the problems faced by their societies. That said, scientists officially discovered them in the 19th century. At that point, researchers delved into the mushrooms' taxonomy, biochemistry and historical usage.

Now, scientists are learning a bit more about how they evolved.

In order to examine the mushrooms a bit more closely, the researchers employed new molecular and computational techniques. They produced the first multi-gene evaluation of the evolutionary development of Psilocybe, the genus of small mushrooms known for their hallucinogenic properties. This work is a major step when it comes to classifying and naming "magic" mushrooms.

So what did the scientists find? In the past, researchers found that the species of Psilocybe did not commonly descend from a single ancestor. Because of this, the hallucinogenic species were typically separated from their non-hallucinogenic relatives. This new study, though, places the two separate groups into different families: the Psilocybe (family Hymenogastraceae) and the Deconica (family Strophariaceae s.str).

It's likely that the mushrooms evolved independently instead of possessing a common ancestor. Another option is that they underwent several evolutionary losses, probably for ecological reasons. That said, the species of Psilocybe are united to some degree due to the fact that they possess the psychedelic compound psilocybin and other secondary metabolites, or products of metabolism.

The findings reveal a little bit more about how these mushrooms evolved and could tell scientists a little bit more about their properties. The work is important for understanding more about these mushrooms, which could aid current research concerning their medicinal uses.

The findings are published in the journal Botany.

06 August 2013

Catherine Griffin
Science World Direct
Photo: Hallucinogenic "magic" mushrooms are well known for their ability to affect those who eat them. Now, scientists have uncovered the evolutionary past of this fungi, revealing a bit more about them and their potential use in medicinal applications. (Photo : Wikimedia Commons/Alan Rockefeller)
http://www.scienceworldreport.com/ar...on_object_map=

Quote:
Phylogenetic inference and trait evolution of the psychedelic mushroom genus Psilocybe sensu lato (Agaricales)

Virginia Ramírez-Cruz,a Gastón Guzmán,b Alma Rosa Villalobos-Arámbula,c Aarón Rodríguez,a P. Brandon Matheny,d Marisol Sánchez-García,d Laura Guzmán-Dávalosa
Departamento de Botánica y Zoología, Universidad de Guadalajara, Apdo. Postal 1-139, Zapopan, Jalisco, 45101, Mexico.
Instituto de Ecología, Apdo. Postal 63, Xalapa, 91000, Veracruz, Mexico.
Departamento de Biología Celular y Molecular, Universidad de Guadalajara, Apdo. Postal 1-139, Zapopan, Jalisco, 45101, Mexico.
Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, 332 Hesler Biology, Building, Knoxville, TN 37996-1610, USA.

Corresponding author: Laura Guzmán-Dávalos (e-mail: [email protected]).
Published on the web 06 August 2013.
Botany, 10.1139/cjb-2013-0070

Abstract

The genus Psilocybe contains iconic species of fungi renowned for their hallucinogenic properties. Recently, Psilocybe also included non-hallucinogenic species that have since been shifted to the genus Deconica. Here, we reconstruct a multigene phylogeny for Psilocybe, Deconica, and other exemplars of the families Hymenogastraceae and Strophariaceae sensu stricto (s. str.), using three nuclear markers (nLSU-rRNA, 5.8S rRNA, and rpb1). Our results confirm the monophyly of Deconica within Strophariaceae s. str., as well as numerous robust infrageneric relationships. Psilocybe is also recovered as a monophyletic group in the Hymenogastraceae, in which two principal lineages are recognized, including several nested subgroups. Most sections of Psilocybe following classifications based on morphological features are not supported in these analyses. Ancestral character state reconstruction analyses suggest that basidiospore shape in frontal view and spore wall thickness, commonly used to characterize sections in Deconica and Psilocybe, are homoplastic. Chrysocystidia, sterile cells located in the hymenium, evolved on at least two occasions in the Strophariaceae s. str., including in a novel lineage of Deconica.

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Read more: http://www.drugs-forum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=222369#ixzz2bY9ZzxzV (pic of "Blue Meanie")

[Zen Peddler]

I can't get that to open unfortunately.

in medical research at least a world respected researcher told me that if it isn't from an OECD country then you can't trust the results. Sounds snobbish.

would be interested to read their conclusions and discussion.

[Darklight]

in medical research at least a world respected researcher told me that if it isn't from an OECD country then you can't trust the results. Sounds snobbish.

Yeah, I've heard that too. I think it's tosh

Last week I had an absolutely fascinating at-length discussion with a very burned out post-doc who reckoned that full per review is so hard to achieve these days that most of the publications he reads in high ranking journals in his field ( Nature and Cell were mentioned ) contain significant errors to his eye

Not sure if that is because of time pressure on reviewers, pressure on researchers to publish *anything * ( ie we didn't get enough data to put a paper out on this subject, so we'll do a workaround and use the data for a different article somewhere else ), or the impossibility of following research in fields which are becoming increasingly specialised and fragmented

After he told me about his work and study schedule while doing his post-grad, which was horrendous ( post-grad is a meat grinder in the USA ) I asked him if he believed that replicable, verifiable and accurate results were achievable long term in science at all under such pressure. And we both agreed that it wasn't

So yeah, I believe that FOSS journals can be as scientifically accurate as high ranking ones

Remember folks- good science is self correcting

[Zen Peddler]

No problem. Valid comments. Do you have another link?

[Darklight]

No problem. Valid comments. Do you have another link?

Nah, it was a friendly chat over coffee and just our opinions

[Sir Shrooms]

What a strange username... combined with a lack of personal comments...