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Mr Patterson is the first witness in the trial of Ms Patterson - who is charged with the murder of three relatives and the attempted murder of another, with the case centring on a beef wellington lunch at her house in July 2023. Ms Patterson, 50, has pleaded not guilty and her defence team says she "panicked" after unintentionally serving poison to family members she loved. Three people died in hospital in the days after the meal, including Ms Patterson's former in-laws, Don Patterson, 70, and Gail Patterson, 70, as well as Gail's sister, Heather Wilkinson, 66. Local pastor Ian...

The inhabitants of Montchavin in the French Alps knew something was killing them. They just didn't know what. Some wondered whether lead from a disused mine in the village had leaked into the water supply. Others thought mobile phone masts were to blame. One woman believed the area was cursed. Between 1991 and 2019, 16 people – almost a tenth of the area's 200-strong population – were diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a fatal condition more commonly known as motor neurone disease (MND). In other words, if you lived in Montchavin, you were 20 times more likely to contract MND...

AVONDALE, Pa. — In this sleepy, rural corner of southeastern Pennsylvania that produces 70% of the nation’s mushrooms, President Donald Trump’s immigration policies are threatening the American dream for a tight-knit community of generational mushroom farmers and the immigrant workers they have long employed. The year-round work of growing and picking the mushrooms that season the stews and stir-fries on American tables is the basis of the local economy in Avondale, a town of just over 1,200 people where more than 60% are Latino. In recent weeks, several immigrants in the area have already been arrested by federal immigration officials...

A federal negligence lawsuit can proceed against West Linn police alleging that officers should have entered the home of a man reported to be hallucinating on mushrooms and harming himself, a judge ruled.But U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon threw out allegations that officers discriminated against Michael A. Relloque IV because of his race or intentionally caused him distress in their handling of the November 2020 call. His lawyer alleged that West Linn police were reluctant to confront Relloque because of the national turmoil and mass racial justice protests that occurred that fall over the police killings of George Floyd...

Every once in a while, through the winding supply chain systems that end in the items we buy for our homes and closets, a strangely specific motif emerges. There was a stretch a few years ago where I recall nearly every shelf of Home Goods and rack at Urban Outfitters had been slapped with a slew of owls: peering over sides of mugs, hooting out from T-shirts, welcoming you on cutesy doormats. Well, it seems the latest fad in this vein is: the mushroom. Specifically, a spotted, usually red and white variety.

A team has shown that the natural substance ergothioneine improves the health span of aging animals. Ergothioneine is a natural compound found in certain fungi such as oyster or shiitake mushrooms as well as fermented foods. The researchers observed that treatment with ergothioneine from young adulthood not only extended the lifespan, but also increased their mobility as well as their resistance to stress and reduced age-related biomarkers. The project partners were also able to observe these positive effects in mammals. For three weeks, they treated six nine-month-old rats with a daily dose of about 10 milligrams of ergothioneine—roughly the same...

Researchers now understand why taking an investigational white button mushroom supplement shows promise in slowing and even preventing prostate cancer from spreading among men who joined a phase 2 clinical trial studying "food as medicine." Looking at preclinical and preliminary human data, the scientists found that taking white button mushroom pills reduces a class of immune cells called myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs), which has been linked to cancer development and spread. "City of Hope researchers are investigating foods like white button mushroom, grape seed extract, pomegranate, blueberries and ripe purple berries called Jamun for their potential medicinal properties. We're finding...

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in women, with high rates of mortality and morbidity. According to a study, scientists have revealed a new function of ganoderic acids from Ganoderma lucidum (G. lucidum) for treating breast cancer. This is the first time scientists identified potential targets of ganoderic acids for breast cancer treatment using bioinformatics techniques. G. lucidum, also called as Lingzhi in Chinese, is a popular medicinal fungus. It has a unique therapeutic and pharmacological reputation in suppressing cancer/tumor progression, especially breast cancer, due to its embedded rich bioactive chemical constituents, mainly triterpenoids (ganoderic acids). In...

Scientists have claimed that the consumption of the fungi psilocybin, also known as 'magic mushrooms,' influenced pre-human hominids' brains six million years ago.They analyzed dozens of studies involving psilocybin and consciousness, finding the fungi increased connectivity between networks in the frontal brain region associated with expressive language, decision-making and memory.These 'significant neurological and psychological effects' may have been the catalase ancient ancestors to interact with each other and the environment - spurring consciousness among our species.The idea that magic mushrooms sparked the pivotal point in humans has been touted by podcaster Joe Rogan, who has referenced the 'Stoned Ape Theory'...

P. maluti. (Cullen Clark) Planet Earth is home to possibly hundreds of species of magic mushroom that contain the hallucinogen, psilocybin. Systematic fieldwork surveys of the genus, Psilocybe, however, are "entirely lacking" for many regions of the world. Now, a new paper describes two species of magic mushroom in southern Africa that are wholly new to science. That brings the total number of reported Psilocybe mushrooms on the continent from just four to six. One of the species, called Psilocybe maluti, is the first scientifically documented magic mushroom with traditional, spiritual uses in Africa. P. maluti was originally photographed in...

The foods we eat can go a long way in boosting our moods. Here are our favorite snacks for happiness, according to science. Achieving happiness is top of mind for many people, and we'll try just about anything to get it. Whether it's therapy, exercise or meditation, we all want to bring more peace and joy into our lives. When we think about what makes us happy, our diet isn't usually at the top of the list (unless your favorite fast-food joint brings joy to mind). The foods we eat actually play a major role in how we feel. Studies...

Psychedelic mushrooms sprung up some 67 million years ago, more than 65 million years before humans ever existed, according to the most extensive genomic study examining these types of fungi. Scientists, who published their work this week in the Proceeding of the National Academy of Sciences, found that of the more than 50 species in the Psilocybe genus, 35 had a novel gene arrangement that coded for psilocybin, the hallucinogen that gives Psilocybe mushrooms their psychedelic quality. Previous studies had identified a single, different genetic pathway to the production of psilocybin, but the new work opens up the possibility of...

It's the kind of story a mystery novelist might conjure. But for months, a real murder case has been playing out in a small Australian town where three people died after eating a family meal that was suspected to contain poisonous death cap mushrooms. The prime suspect in Leongatha, a country town some 84 miles southeast of Melbourne in Victoria, has long been seen as Erin Patterson, who hosted the lunch in late July whose four guests quickly fell gravely ill. The menu included a beef Wellington dish that Patterson said included mushrooms. Police arrested Patterson on Thursday; she...

The off-duty pilot accused of trying to bring down an Alaska Airlines flight told investigators he took psychedelic mushrooms 48 hours prior to the incident, had been depressed, and believed he was experiencing a mental breakdown, authorities said. The off-duty pilot — Joseph Emerson, 44, of California — has since been charged with more than 80 counts of attempted murder, and the FBI is investigating whether he was under the influence when he tried to shut down the plane's engines while sitting in the cockpit of Sunday's flight from Everett, Washington, to San Francisco, officials told NBC News.

An off-duty pilot allegedly tried to shut off the engines on an Alaska Airlines plane while it was on its way to San Francisco, police said. The plane on Flight 2059 was travelling from Everett, Washington, but had to be diverted to Portland, Oregon, after the incident. Horizon Air, a subsidiary of Alaska Airlines, said the presence of a "credible threat" in the jump seat of the cockpit’s flight deck. "The jump seat occupant unsuccessfully attempted to disrupt the operation of the engines," read a statement from the airline. "The Horizon Captain and First Officer quickly responded, engine power was...

The out-of-control airline pilot who tried to down an Alaskan Airlines flight midair told cops he had taken magic mushrooms before the flight, it emerged Tuesday. Joseph Emerson, 44, an off-duty commercial airline pilot, went off the rails while sitting in the cockpit jump seat of a flight between Everett, Washington, and San Francisco on Sunday — trying to cut the fuel to the engines before he had to be held down by crew members. Even while restrained, Emerson tried to open the emergency doors on the Alaskan flight, which was being operated by Horizon Air, as the pilots frantically...

In a world where boundaries and definitions are stretched to unrecognizable limits, a congregation of ex-Mormons has outdone itself in an unprecedented display of spiritual anarchy. Stepping far away from previously blasphemous Mormon roots, they’ve founded a “church” where their sacrament is not the bread and wine symbolizing Christ’s sacrifice, but psychedelic mushrooms. Yes, you read that correctly. They call themselves the “Divine Assembly,” trading in pews and hymnals for bean bags and trip guides. These spiritual “adventurers” claim they are communing directly with the divine while they’re tripping, but the only thing they are communing with is the surreal...

In Ohio we have had a very wet summer, puffballs come out every year but this year they are 4 times the size.

Aug. 9 (UPI) -- Australian police are seeking answers in connection to the poisoning of three people who died after eating wild mushrooms at a dinner served in Leongatha, Australia. The three deceased victims, who fell ill after eating on July 29, have been identified as Gail Patterson, her husband, Don Patterson, and her sister Heather Wilkinson. Heather Wilkinson's husband, the Rev. Ian Wilkinson, also was poisoned and is awaiting a liver transplant. The victims became ill after eating dinner at the home of Erin Patterson, Gail and Don Patterson's former daughter-in-law. Erin Patterson and her two children did not...

Morel mushrooms Public health officials have signed off on an outbreak investigation in Montana saying that morel mushrooms were most likely what made dozens of people sick and killed two. In addition to the two deaths, the outbreak traced to Dave’s Sushi in Bozeman, MT, sickened more than 50 people and sent three to hospitals. People became ill between March 28 and April 17 this year, according to the Gallatin City-County Health Department. The local department worked with the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, as well as the U.S. Centers...