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Puffball season is nearing its end, but some Quebecers will be eating their mushroom for daysMélanie Greffard and her husband usually head out to a nearby forest or the Eastern Townships to forage for mushrooms. So the pair had quite the surprise when they stumbled upon a Calvatia gigantea — a giant puffball the size of two basketballs in their backyard near downtown Quebec City last week. It weighed in at nearly six kilograms. "At first, it's almost kind of scary, like, 'What is this thing?'" Greffard said, laughing. "We were really impressed with how big it was." Giant...

TThe long-running Music Midtown festival at Piedmont Park in Atlanta, scheduled for Sept. 17-18 with headliners My Chemical Romance, Future, Jack White and Fallout Boy, has been called off, according to a statement issued by festival organizers. The likely cause, industry sources tell Billboard, are recent changes to Georgia gun laws that prevent the festival from banning guns on to the publicly owned festival grounds... … While owner Live Nation didn’t provide any additional details for the cancellation, pro-gun rights groups had been emailing and posting comments of the festival’s social media page for several months, hinting at potential legal...

Many journalists in Washington, D.C. are taking small doses of psychedelic mushrooms to improve their performance, according to Politico.A 2020 D.C. ballot initiative made enforcement of bans on the purchase and distribution of psychedelic mushrooms the lowest priority of law enforcement, making the substance “basically legal,” according to Politico. The substance is used recreationally in full doses as well as in smaller “microdoses,” which some believe can improve brain function.“Microdosing mushrooms as a kind of performance-enhancing brain boost — already wildly popular among the California tech set — is now fairly common in Washington, especially in media circles,” the Politico...

A man believed to be high on psychedelic mushrooms went airborne in his parents’ car after slamming into an embankment at a Georgia gas station on Sunday night. The dramatic scene in the city of Kennesaw was caught on camera and capped off an apparently wild night for Noah Washington, 23, who told police he was “tripping” on six magic mushrooms at the time of the crash, according to Patch. Washington also told officers he believed he was being followed by assassins, though he could not describe their vehicle, the outlet reported.

Chefs and home cooks alike are renewing their passion for humanity’s oldest culinary pursuit.Danny Childs is offering pawpaws to a surprised couple in a park on an early afternoon in suburban New Jersey. "They're like a mix between a banana and a mango," he explains. "You just rip the skin open and eat the flesh." He demonstrates how by slurping the tender insides and handing each person one of the peanut-shaped fruits from his basket. They take them, dubious at first, their hesitancy quickly melting away as they take a taste, emboldened by his enthusiasm. Childs is used to this...

The antioxidants in mushrooms likely help to prevent against various mental illnesses. Mushrooms could reduce the risk of depression substantially, a study suggests. People who eat around 5 g per day of mushrooms, on average, have a 31 percent lower risk of developing depression symptoms. → Access these member-only articles by joining PsyBlog: The Personality Trait Linked To Looking Younger What Modern Life Is Doing To Our Brain Health A portion of mushrooms is around 80 g, suggesting that eating them once a week is all that is required to gain the benefit. The researchers found no additional benefit to...

A pair of anthropological forces are driving humans towards the consumption of wild mushrooms, a trend that deserves both examination and celebration as wild mushrooms not only represent a nutrient-dense food source, but also a connection to forests and ancestral traditions. The first is that regardless of the fact that during the 19th and 20th centuries, 12 crops and 14 animal species came to provide what is today around 98% of the world’s dietary content, reported incidence of wild mushroom foraging has increased globally by about 2100% over the last 56 years. The second is that forest ecosystems are beginning...

Detroit voters decriminalized therapeutic mushrooms – also known as psychedelic or "magic" mushrooms. On Election Day Tuesday, voters were asked to vote on Proposal E, which would make "the personal possession and therapeutic use of entheogenic plants by adults the city's lowest law-enforcement priority." The measure passed with 61.08% of the vote. Detroit is not the only city to decriminalize the substance, called psilocybin, which can be used to treat a variety of psychological issues, including depression, although scientists are still doing research. Last year, voters in another Michigan city, Ann Arbor, also voted to decriminalize psychedelic plants, as did...

Huitlacoche is a fungus that consumes its host — corn — and transforms it into another food altogether. If you’ve never seen it before, it might be a startling sight. But look beyond the unfamiliar, and you’ll find a treat. In fact, for the past couple of weeks, a scrum of excited chefs has surrounded the McGrath Family Farms table at the Santa Monica farmers market due to the unexpected appearance of fresh huitlacoche (pronounced whee-tla-KOH-cheh), a fungus caused by ustilago maydis, which feeds on ears of corn. Called corn smut or Mexican truffle, the fungus is considered a delicacy...

A Pennsylvania mom admitted giving her teen daughter psychedelic mushrooms and marijuana during a “bonding experience,” authorities said. Brandy Lee Betz, 42, was charged with felony child endangerment after she was reported to cops in June regarding her drug use earlier this year with her 14-year-old daughter, according to an affidavit obtained by the Patriot-News. The referral indicated Betz gave the teen “shrooms” and marijuana while in her Middletown home. Dauphin County child welfare officials conducted a parallel probe and Betz confessed to smoking pot with the girl, according to the affidavit.

Police in Rome have sniffed out a cannabis factory in an abandoned metro tunnel built during the rule of Fascist leader Benito Mussolini, in the 1930s. Officers reportedly stumbled across the factory after smelling the pungent crop near an entrance, not far from the Italian central bank. The tunnel, just over half a mile (1km) long, was also being used to cultivate mushrooms. But behind a makeshift wall, police discovered rows of marijuana plants. Video released by Italy's financial police showed an underground greenhouse with thriving marijuana plants lit by halogen lights, and irrigated via a system of underground cisterns....

Humans have used chaga for thousands of years. But its popularity is shining new light on forest medicinals. Black Gold. The Diamond of the Forest. The Mushroom of Immortality. Hearing the chaga fungus referred to by its many nicknames, it's easy to imagine sparkling gemstones and tendrils of precious metals hanging from trees. Instead, chaga protrudes parasitically on the trunk of the boreal birch; bulbous, black and more reminiscent of bark than fungi. But a fungus it is. And a powerful – or at the very least, powerfully popular – one at that. While people in Russia and parts of...

There is no evidence that mushrooms or any other form of life exists on Mars. The Mars rover did not take a picture of fungi growing on the planet. And so-called ‘scientists’ did not explain the existence of fungi on Mars in a research paper. If there are mushrooms on Mars, the people on our planet have yet to uncover any evidence of their existence. But what about the headlines? Simply put: they’re bunk. As far as we can tell, all of the recent articles discussing the “discovery of fungi” on Mars are based on a recently published research paper...

A thought-provoking new study from a team of scientists who examined images of Mars argues that the Red Planet is rife with mushrooms and other fungi that can be seen growing over the course of time. The intriguing hypothesis was laid out in a paper published this week in the journal Advances in Microbiology. The researchers behind the study looked at sequential images taken by the Opportunity Rover and the HiRISE satellite which orbits Mars and, in the process, noticed objects on the surface of Mars changing dramatically in a manner suggesting that they could be alive. For example, as...

The psychedelic renaissance will resemble the 1960s, only this time, it will take place under medical authorities and state supervision, with the corporate sheen of celebrity endorsement.The popularization of psychedelics has already transformed the American mind. As tripping becomes normalized and legal in the coming decade, the pace of change will only accelerate. There will be more openness to new ideas, both brilliant and insane. Commercial availability will also invigorate the market for synthetic religious experiences.Having seen people gobble up hallucinogens in various contexts, I’m not particularly bothered by the substances themselves. The physical effects are negligible—fatality rates are basically...

Key Takeaways Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. In addition to evidence that eating vegetables may reduce cancer risk in some cases, a new study highlights that mushrooms, in particular, reduce cancer risk by 45%. Mushrooms are one of the few foods that naturally contain vitamin D—a factor that could influence its anti-cancer benefits. Approximately 39.5% of people will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lifetimes.1 Some risk factors, like genetics, are not in a person's control, but diet and lifestyle choices are considered modifiable risk factors. For example, research...

Screenwriter-director Aaron Sorkin used his Golden Globes win on Sunday as an opportunity to get on his political soapbox, quoting radical leftist Abbie Hoffman to condemn the Capitol Hill riots of January 6. Aaron Sorkin won an award for his screenplay for the Netflix movie The Trial of the Chicago 7. In his acceptance speech, the Hollywood writer, known for The West Wing and The Newsroom, quoted the late left-wing activist Abbie Hoffman, who is one of the protagonists of the historical drama. “Democracy is not something you believe in or a place to hang your hat, but it’s something...

Scientists discovered an undescribed species of truffle, thanks to bonobos, who savor the mushrooms. Credit: Alexander Georgiev ================================================================================== Mushroom-munching bonobos in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have introduced scientists to a new species of truffle. Commonly used by Congolese communities to bait traps for small mammals, Hysterangium bonobo is also savored by bonobos, an endangered species of great ape. Scientists say the truffle hints at vast reserves of undescribed fungal diversity in the region. "Truffles aren't just for gourmet chefs—they're also for our closest relatives," said Matthew Smith, an associate professor in the University of Florida department of plant...

These mushrooms are growing right near my door outside. There are plenty more of them. My question is are they SAFE to eat? Also I want to know what kind of mushrooms these are. They are very white with that distinctive yellowish-brown color pattern on top.

There is no doubt spring is the most delicious time for outdoors enthusiasts. Even though many businesses and activities are closed, the outdoors is always open. Spawning crappies and walleyes provide succulent, white fillets. Turkey season can reward hunters with some of the tastiest wild game Mother Nature can offer. But perhaps the most valued delicacy this time of year are morel mushrooms. All of these activities also lend themselves perfectly for social distancing. They pop up almost overnight, their succulent fruiting bodies protruding above the forest floor. Although their life is short lived, throngs of probing Hoosiers anticipate this...