Mushroom Mysteries (Neil deGrasse Tyson)

Neil deGrasse Tyson, StarTalk, 2/8/24; Dhr. Seven, Pat Macpherson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

The Mystery of Mushrooms [human relatives] with Neil deGrasse Tyson and Bryn Dentinger

Humans are related to mushrooms.

(StarTalk) StarTalk Podcast Full Episodes. Why are some mushrooms delicious culinary truffles, some make us high (200 "magic mushroom" types), and some kill us?

Neil deGrasse Tyson and comedian Chuck Nice discover the weird world of mushrooms, psilocybin (natural psychedelic drug), and mycelia (root-like fibers that communicate between plants and distribute nutrients throughout forest) with mycologist (person who studies fungus) Bryn Dentinger.

What is a mycologist? Discover the kingdom of fungi, the crazy chemicals funguses produce, and how mushrooms (the fruiting bodies of the mycelia) have a closer common ancestor to us than plants.

• 00:00 - Introduction: psilocybin mushrooms
• 0:41 - What is mycology?
• 3:46 - What is psilocybin?
• 5:03 - How the asteroids helped the mushrooms
• 8:08 - When did humans start eating 'shrooms?
• 12:26 - Why are mushrooms so hard to grow?
• 15:18 - Mycelium and large organisms
• 20:45 - Psilocybin vs. Ayahuasca
• 26:00 - Should we farm mushrooms more?
• 28:45 - Does life have similarities to the framework of the universe?
• 31:26 - Why are truffles so rare?
• 33:47 - Mushrooms on a Mars settlement
• 37:30 - Fungi and the human microbiome
• 42:22 - Progress in research
• 43:48 - Biochemical wizards
• 45:07 - New species of shrooms
• 51:17 - The Last of Us fungal plague

How did the asteroid that is thought to have killed off the dinosaurs help the mushrooms? When did humans start using mushrooms for their psychedelic (entheogenic, shamanistic, mind-making) effects?

Mycelia feed the root hairs, and tree gives sugar

Why are mushrooms so hard to grow? Learn about the differences between fungal and plant life. Learn how mycelia are some of the largest single organisms by area in the world, with the largest living organism on earth planet being a giant, underground hyphae of mycelium, a massive fungal mat that is three square miles in area, living in the Blue Mountains of Oregon.

• The Blue Mountains are unique as the home of the world's largest living organism, a subterranean colonial mycelial mat of the fungus Armillaria ostoyae [6]. They were named after the color of the mountains when seen from a distance and the blue hue imparted by the smoke of forest and range fires set by Indigenous people as management tools in the fall [7]. More

How did some mushrooms come to be hallucinogenic? Should we be farming more mushrooms? What makes prized mushrooms like expensive truffles so rare? Why can’t we farm them rather than have to wildcraft them with the help of pigs their incredible sense of smell?

Many mushrooms are culinary and medicinal.

Could fungi be the key to feeding a future Mars settlement? Will mycelia and mushrooms replace meat with their texture, flavor, and environment-friendly production methods.

Learn about what fungi are made of biochemically and how many new species of fungi are found everyday.

How do fungi interact with the human microbiome? What is Auto-Brewery Syndrome [where a person gets drunk by fermentation in the human gut]?

Plus, could a fungus-based plague cause a zombie apocalypse like the disease featured in The Last of Us?

ABOUT: Science meets pop culture on StarTalk. Astrophysicist and Hayden Planetarium Director Neil deGrasse Tyson, comic co-hosts, guest celebrities, and scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up! #StarTalk #neildegrassetyson. Follow or subscribe to StarTalk: Twitter: startalkradio, Facebook: startalk, Instagram: startalk.

For more information about this artist and her work, visit Inuit Gallery of Vancouver. https://inuit.com/. Thanks to Patrons Jack Hill, The Fantasy GOAT, Andrew Gendreau, ND, Vijai Karthigesu, Shellz, and Jeff Lane for supporting us this week. About the prints that flank Neil in this video: "Black Swan” & "White Swan" limited edition serigraph prints by Coast Salish artist Jane Kwatleematt Marston. Support us on Patreon: startalkradio. 

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