{"id":72659,"date":"2024-02-21T12:24:40","date_gmt":"2024-02-21T20:24:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2024\/02\/21\/psilocybin-mushrooms-may-date-to-the-time-of-the-dinosaurs-or-at-least-their-demise-study-finds\/"},"modified":"2024-02-21T19:46:33","modified_gmt":"2024-02-22T03:46:33","slug":"psilocybin-mushrooms-may-date-to-the-time-of-the-dinosaurs-or-at-least-their-demise-study-finds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/2024\/02\/21\/psilocybin-mushrooms-may-date-to-the-time-of-the-dinosaurs-or-at-least-their-demise-study-finds\/","title":{"rendered":"Psilocybin Mushrooms May Date To The Time Of The Dinosaurs (Or At Least Their Demise), Study Finds"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n

Mushrooms of the genus Psilocybe <\/em>appear to have begun producing the psychedelic compound psilocybin roughly 67 million years ago, right around the time of the dinosaurs\u2019 demise, according to a newly published study led by researchers from the University of Utah and the Natural History Museum of Utah.<\/p>\n

The results also suggested that wood decomposition\u2014as opposed to other preferred niches like dung or soil\u2014as \u201cthe ancestral ecology of Psilocybe,<\/em>\u201d though the ability to produce psilocybin seems to have later jumped from some types of fungi to others over tens of millions of years.<\/p>\n

Authors noted that some past research has speculated that interaction with termites \u201cmay have provided the selective force for the evolution of psilocybin as a modulator of the symbiosis.\u201d<\/p>\n

The new report represents the largest-ever genomic diversity study for the genus Psilocybe<\/em>, according to a University of Utah announcement, and involved analyzing dozens of specimens\u2014including 39 species that had never before been genetically sequenced.<\/p>\n

Researchers then \u201cbioinformatically mined the primary psilocybin [biosynthetic gene cluster] and mapped the core genes on the phylogeny to investigate the tempo, mode, and patterns of its evolution,\u201d says the team\u2019s dense, nine-page research article<\/a> published in the journal PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences) earlier this month.<\/p>\n

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\u201cMolecular dating suggests psilocybin biosynthesis arose in Psilocybe ~67 mya, concurrent with the K-Pg mass extinction event.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The project essentially allowed researchers to trace psilocybin-related gene patterns back through an even more detailed family tree. The work helps shed light on the evolutionary history of psychedelic fungi, including when psilocybin production may have arisen and spread.<\/p>\n

Physical interaction between wood-dwelling mushrooms and other fungi, authors wrote, \u201cmay be one way the psilocybin [biosynthetic gene cluster] could be transferred horizontally. However, the true vector of these [horizontal gene transfers] is unknown.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the beauty of it,\u201d said Alexander Bradshaw, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Utah and the study\u2019s lead author. \u201cNo one has really sequenced type specimens at this scale, and now we get to produce molecular and genomic data to the gold standard of Psilocybe<\/em> types for people to compare against.\u201d<\/p>\n

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A team of #UofU<\/a>-led researchers has completed the largest genomic diversity study of Psilocybe fungi\u2014known colloquially as \u201cmagic mushrooms\u201d\u2014laying the groundwork of study for what could be a revolution in how we treat mental health conditions.https:\/\/t.co\/KdvMdYvfxW<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 University of Utah (@UUtah) January 10, 2024<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Type specimens, the study explains, \u201care the ultimate authority for applying names to other collections and are therefore essential references for accurately naming and describing diversity.\u201d But \u201coutside of a handful of common species,\u201d it says, Psilocybe\u00a0<\/em>species \u201care not commonly collected, and many specimens are represented by a single collection, making research with them tremendously difficult.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThis work represents a big step in the understanding of the evolutionary relationships in Psilocybe <\/em>because it is the first to include a broad species sampling and is based on type specimens,\u201d said Virginia Ram\u00edrez-Cruz, a mycologist at the Universidad de Guadalajara and co-lead author of the study.<\/p>\n

According to the university release, the study helps establish that psilocybin was first synthesized in Psilocybe, \u201cwith four or five possible horizontal gene transfers to other mushrooms from 40 [million] to 9 million years ago.\u201d<\/p>\n

The analysis further revealed \u201ctwo distinct gene orders within the gene cluster that produces psilocybin,\u201d it says. \u201cThe two gene patterns correspond to an ancient split in the genus, suggesting two independent acquisitions of psilocybin in its evolutionary history. The study is the first to reveal such a strong evolutionary pattern within the gene sequences underpinning the psychoactive protein synthesis.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the strong likelihood of some horizontal transfers, authors wrote that the presence of the psilocybin gene cluster in all the study\u2019s Psilocybe\u00a0<\/em>specimens\u2014\u201dsuggests that the [gene cluster] is primarily inherited vertically within the genus, although some patterns suggest this may not be the only mechanism.\u201d<\/p>\n

The study\u2019s senior author, Bryn Dentinger, curator of mycology at the National History Museum of Utah, said the findings could help fuel future therapeutic research.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a wealth of diversity of these compounds out there. To understand where they are and how they\u2019re made, we need to do this kind of molecular work to use biodiversity to our advantage,\u201d he said. \u201cIf psilocybin does turn out to be this kind of wonder drug, there\u2019s going to be a need to develop therapeutics to improve its efficacy. What if it already exists in nature?\u201d<\/p>\n

The study doesn\u2019t attempt to provide a definitive answer for the ecological role of psilocybin. Disorientation or altered behavior in some animals, including humans, might be either a deterrent (to protect the fungus) or an attractant (to help spread spores), although authors note that because some species are scarce and pharmacological effects may be delayed, it\u2019s \u201cdifficult to imagine how animals could learn to recognize them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Psilocybin may also be a historical defense against insect pests, although \u201canecdotes and personal observations confirm that psilocybin-containing mushrooms regularly have living insect larvae in them and they can be reared to adults,\u201d suggesting that any chemical defense properties \u201cmay be ineffective against insects or that some insects may have evolved detoxifying capabilities in response.\u201d<\/p>\n

Others hypothesize that it\u2019s some sort of \u201cinducible chemical defense system\u201d associated with the blue pigment that forms when psilocybin-containing mushrooms are damaged. At that point, psilocybin is converted into psilocin, which forms polymer chains that \u201cproduce reactive oxygen molecules that can damage gut tissue.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey propose the \u2018polymer hypothesis,’\u201d the study\u2019s authors explained of the theory\u2019s proponents, \u201cwhere the psilocin oligo\/polymers may be an inducible defense against fungivory and psilocybin is simply the artillery and psilocybin is simply the artillery kept in reserve for the true chemical weaponry.\u201d<\/p>\n

They note that the \u201cthe formation of the blue psilocin oligo\/polymers is invariably connected to psilocybin biosynthesis throughout the multiple independent inheritances and convergent evolution.\u201d<\/p>\n

One possibility might be slugs\u2014a hypothesis authors aim to test in future research, according to the University of Utah:<\/p>\n

\u201cThe authors are preparing experiments to test an alternative theory that they call the Gastropod Hypothesis. The timing and divergence dates of Psilocybe <\/em>coincide with the KPg boundary, the geological marker of the asteroid that threw Earth into a brutal, prolonged winter and killed 80% of all life. Two lifeforms that thrived during the darkness and decay were fungi and terrestrial gastropods. Evidence, including the fossil record, shows that gastropods had a massive diversification and proliferation just after the asteroid hit, and it\u2019s known that terrestrial slugs are heavy predators of mushrooms. With the study\u2019s molecular dating of Psilocybe<\/em> to around 65 million years ago, it\u2019s possible that psilocybin evolved as a slug deterrent.\u201d<\/p>\n

Institutions worldwide sent specimens to be sequenced as part of the study, the university\u2019s release<\/a> said, including some that were collected more than 150 years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s impossible to overstate the importance of collections for doing studies like this,\u201d Bradshaw said. \u201cWe are standing on the shoulders of giants, who spent thousands of people-power hours to create these collections, so that I can write an email and request access to rare specimens, many of which have only ever been collected once, and may never be collected again.\u201d<\/p>\n

As far as human use of psilocybin mushrooms goes, separate research suggests humans have been ingesting them for potentially millions of years. Use of marijuana, by contrast, is believed to be more recent.<\/p>\n

Studies published last year and in 2019 suggest that humans first began using plants of the genus Cannabis<\/em> about 10,000 years ago<\/a>, initially using hemp for fibers and nutrition.<\/p>\n

Consuming cannabis for its experiential effects, meanwhile, seems to date back roughly 3,000 years. A Chinese emperor about 2,700 B.C.E. described the plant as \u201ca first-class herb.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

Cannabis and the genus that contains hops\u2014marijuana\u2019s closest living relative\u2014diverged about 28 million years ago<\/a>, according to a 2018 study.<\/p>\n

Another study suggests the rise of cannabinioids like THC and CBD may have been the result of genetic mischief at the hands of ancient viruses<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Scientists Discover The Exact Reason Marijuana Causes The \u2018Munchies\u2019 In New Federally Funded Study<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Photo courtesy of Dick Culbert<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

The post Psilocybin Mushrooms May Date To The Time Of The Dinosaurs (Or At Least Their Demise), Study Finds<\/a> appeared first on Marijuana Moment<\/a>.<\/p>\n


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Mushrooms of the genus Psilocybe appear to have begun producing the psychedelic compound psilocybin roughly 67 million years ago, right around the time of the dinosaurs\u2019 demise, according to a newly published study led by researchers from the University of Utah and the Natural History Museum of Utah. The resultsContinue Reading<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"false","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[18,15462],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72659"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72659"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72659\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":72660,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72659\/revisions\/72660"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72659"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72659"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cannabiscultivatornews.com\/home\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72659"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}