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If you recently watched HBO’s TV series “The Last of Us”, you’re probably a tad more wary of fungi than you used to be. Based on the popularity of the show, it’s clear that more than just a few of us find the prospect of a brain-altering fungus terrifying.
But while there’s currently no fungus (at least that we’re aware of) that has the ability to take control of the human brain and turn us into zombies, some fungi do produce a molecule that can alter our minds. Called psilocybin, this small molecule is present in magic mushrooms — and is the reason why consuming them gives us hallucinations.
Recently, there’s been an explosion of interest in psilocybin because of its brain-altering capabilities. Many researchers feel that psilocybin may be a powerful tool in mental health treatment — with some studies even suggesting it may be useful in treating a range of conditions, from anxiety to alcohol addiction.
What would your life look like if it was made into a Wes Anderson film? TikTok users are finding out by shooting their own mundane videos in the style of the distinctive director – which has proven ripe for social media parody. Plus, we dig into Fifa’s threat to pull the Women’s World Cup from European TV.
Another brain-altering substance we work with is high-quality, trustworthy information from experts, which we gladly share, for free, with millions of readers. Around 5% of subscribers to this newsletter donate – raising that figure would make a huge difference. If you value what you read here at The Conversation, please become a donor today.
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Heather Kroeker
Commissioning Editor, Health + Medicine
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Fungal metabolites, such as psilocybin, may have therapeutic potential.
Kyrylo Vasyliev/ Shutterstock
Edel Hyland, Queen's University Belfast
Psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, is one example of a fungus which can alter the human mind.
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Fox Searchlight Pictures
Tom Hemingway, University of Warwick
An Anderson shot is distinct, from its colour palette to its framing, which is why his style is easy to mimic.
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USA, winners in 2019.
Jose Breton- Pics Action/Shutterstock
Christina Philippou, University of Portsmouth; Adam Cox, University of Portsmouth
Growing interest in women’s football must be encouraged.
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Politics + Society
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Marwan Darweish, Coventry University
The village of Lajjun, near Nazareth, which was destroyed in 1948 to make room for a kibbutz is a microcosm of the catastrophe that still affects Palestinians 75 years later.
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Jonathan Este, The Conversation
A selection of the best of our coverage of the conflict from the past fortnight.
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Paul Whiteley, University of Essex
Forecasting is a tricky art but looking back at the relationship between local elections and subsequent general elections puts Labour on course for House of Commons majority.
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Lara Maleen Kipp, Aberystwyth University
2023 sees the UK host the Eurovision Song Contest on behalf of Ukraine. But what role does the stage itself have to play in the musical spectacle?
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Arts + Culture
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Alice Vernon, Aberystwyth University
A raft of horror films remind us of the grip troubled sleep once had on our imaginations.
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Adam Behr, Newcastle University
This case was about more than Sheeran’s artistic integrity; it was about protecting the common musical ‘currency’ that underpins all songwriting.
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Business + Economy
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Edward Thomas Jones, Bangor University; Yener Altunbas, Bangor University
The Bank of England is factoring more than sky-high inflation into its base rate decisions right now.
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Cities
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Jiayi Jin, Northumbria University, Newcastle
The Baltic port city of Gdańsk, in Poland, showcases how cities might return their waterfronts to residents and restore the industrial landscape.
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Education
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Julie Wharton, University of Winchester
Creating a school environment that is welcoming to everyone is important.
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Environment
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Heather Browning, University of Southampton; Walter Veit, University of Bristol
For animals to find the motivation to forage and mate, life must be at least slightly positive.
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Deonie Allen, University of Birmingham; Melanie Bergmann, Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research; Steve Allen, Dalhousie University
Arctic sea ice algae contaminated with microplastics have serious consequences for ecosystems and the climate.
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Science + Technology
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Nello Cristianini, University of Bath
The shortcuts made when AI was being developed can guide society’s responses to the technology.
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Bethan Linscott, University of Oxford
The analysis could help us understand behavioural differences between the two groups of humans.
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