The Shroom Post

Two new species of psychoactive mushrooms in the genus Psilocybe have been described from southern Africa, bringing the list to six known species indigenous to Africa. Psilocybe species are among the ...

In recent years, the resurgence of interest in psychedelic substances has spotlighted psilocybin as a potential breakthrough in mental health treatment.

The Alice in Wonderland mushroom is being sold online with vague promises of better health. Buyer beware.

A study of multiple Mycena mushroom species reported in the journal Cell Genomics has found that they have unexpectedly large genomes. While the mushrooms had been thought to be purely saprotrophic – living by degrading dead organic material alone – the discovery suggests that they may instead have a collection of genes to enable them to adapt to different lifestyles as circumstances change. Interestingly, they show certain Mycena strains living in the Arctic have some of the largest mushroom genomes ever described. These mushrooms show widespread growth across their genome. This includes not only the genes that help them invade or interact with plants and break down carbon, but also genes whose functions are not yet known but are likely important. Additionally, there are many repetitive, non-coding elements and genes that they have acquired from other, unrelated fungi through horizontal gene transfer.