Mushroom Behind 'Tiny Human' Visions Lacks Genes For Known Psychedelics (sciencealert.com)
- Reference: 0184063952
- News link: https://science.slashdot.org/story/26/06/24/0624256/mushroom-behind-tiny-human-visions-lacks-genes-for-known-psychedelics
- Source link: https://www.sciencealert.com/mushroom-behind-tiny-human-visions-lacks-genes-for-known-psychedelics
> If you consumed a wild mushroom and suddenly started seeing tiny people around you, you might reasonably assume it contained a familiar psychedelic. But that does not appear to be the case with Lanmaoa asiatica, known locally as jian shou qing, a mushroom species sold in markets in Yunnan, southwestern China. When eaten undercooked, the mushroom can produce [2]vivid visions of miniature people -- not unlike Gulliver on his travels to Lilliput. To try and find out the root cause, University of Utah mycologists Colin Domnauer and Bryn Dentinger sequenced the genomes of 53 mushroom samples from across the wider Lanmaoa genus. And despite the reported hallucinations, they [3]found no close matches to genes associated with psilocybin or ibotenic acid , two well-known mushroom hallucinogens whose biosynthetic pathways were specifically examined in the study.
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> "Biosynthetic gene mining of the L. asiatica genome found no close hits with any genes known in the production of mushroom psychoactive compounds," write the researchers in their [4]published paper . "This supports our hypothesis of the presence of a novel unidentified metabolite responsible for the unique hallucinogenic properties of L. asiatica." [...] Whatever chemical pathways are causing these effects in the brain, the responsible compound appears to be something scientists have not yet identified. [...] By identifying 1,515 corresponding genes across the selected specimens, the researchers obtained a clearer answer to the question of what defines a mushroom species as part of the genus Lanmaoa. There are now 17 recognized species in the genus, including four that haven't been identified before, two of which the researchers specifically named here: Lanmaoa fallax and Lanmaoa carbonilivor. The researchers say the Lanmaoa family and evolutionary tree can now be more fully mapped out, and some existing specimens may need to be reclassified.
[1] https://slashdot.org/~alternative_right
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilliputian_hallucination
[3] https://www.sciencealert.com/mushroom-behind-tiny-human-visions-lacks-genes-for-known-psychedelics
[4] https://doi.org/10.1080/00275514.2026.2670968
reconstruction ? (Score:2)
do these substances bring out a reality not normally visable, or do they make the brain invent these things. if so where or what is the brain getting the info from ? Why do multiple people report the same things ? (suggesting external input not self generated ?
Re: (Score:1)
do these substances bring out a reality not normally visable
No.
Ancestor worship (Score:5, Insightful)
> do these substances bring out a reality not normally visable, or do they make the brain invent these things. if so where or what is the brain getting the info from ? Why do multiple people report the same things ? (suggesting external input not self generated ?
The mushrooms are almost certainly not making an invisible aspect of reality visible.
That being said, this report is very interesting from an anthropological point of view: ancestor worship.
The report doesn't say whether the tiny people were recognized by the viewer (and I couldn't find any references), but this effect might have been the source of ancestor worship among the people of southeast Asia, where the mushroom grows.
Ancestor worship and animism (belief that the spirits of things hang around after death) might have its roots in this sort of psychedelic experience.
Re: (Score:1)
It's not "every" human brain. It's just "most" human brains.
Be that as it may, you might consider asking Gemini such a question. Of course, answers from AI aren't guaranteed to be accurate, but answers from random posters on Slashdot come with even less of a guarantee.
But here, let me save you the effort by posting Gemini's reply:
While researchers are still isolating the exact chemical compound inside Lanmaoa asiatica—which is unique and unrelated to classical psilocybin "magic mushrooms"—neur
Re: (Score:3)
The human brain is fascinating. There was a prescription drug advertised with all the typical side effects except for one. Excessive gambling. Now that is an oddly specific side effect. There was also a drug to curb nicotine addiction but with the side effects of vivid dreams and some people even having waking nightmares.
Re: (Score:2)
Nicotine on its own causes vivid dreams. Maybe the medications increase someone's sensitivity so they can taper off, and thus, cause vivid dreams.
If you don't believe me, slap on a nicotine pouch before bed and you'll have wacky dreams all night long. I kind of enjoyed it when I was using those as I don't normally dream (or don't remember them).
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah my dad was on that stuff back in the 90s, he said the dreams were so awful he had to stop using it
Re: (Score:2)
Is there any other evidence of their existence, such as missing food or other supplies that would be consistent with ongoing need, not to mention unexplained pollution, etc?
No.
Do multiple people report seeing the same people in the same spot at the same time when they take these mushrooms together, under controlled conditions where they cannot hear each other's descriptions?
No.
While we have no logical way to disprove the existence of alternate realities, there is also no good reason to posit their existence
Re: reconstruction ? (Score:3)
"suggesting external input not self generate"
What it actually is suggesting is similar cognitive and sensory structures in the human mind.
Lots of substances can be used to instill a feeling of dread. This does not imply there is some external dreadful presence. It implies that dread is chemically triggered in the brain.
Re:reconstruction ? (Score:4, Insightful)
your entire perception of reality is actually a controlled hallucination. your brain literally invents reality from external stumuli: photons, waves and particles in the air, etc. mixed with your own past experiences.
substances (and other particular circumstances) can trigger connections in your brain that cause your perception to change, or even runs amok. my (uninformed) guess is that these shrooms somehow trigger areas of the brain involved in shape recognition, and human shapes in particular. there is quite a bit of medical literature about people consistently hallucinating very specific stuff.
Creepy. (Score:2)
I thought it was [1]fiction [wikipedia.org].
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Side_Effects
Finally (Score:4, Funny)
Finally a way to enjoy the Willow remake!
Better hurry (Score:3)
There hasn't been enough time since this was in the news (months ago) for it to be illegal yet. Where can I get some without going to china myself?
This. (Score:5, Interesting)
In my younger days, the list of psychedelics I tried was pretty lengthy. And I never had a single bad trip. Not one. I was always joked while not joking that the stereotyped hallucinations always eluded me. I wanted to see elves peeking at me from behind bushes. But no matter how deep I went - and I went 800 mcg of LSD deep - the hallucinations topped off at melty, wooshy, and emotionally bizarre and impactful. I never hallucinated specific, coherent events or individuals.
Well, here it is. I would return from a 25 year hiatus to try that.
Re: (Score:2)
Good to know I think I topped at 400 at YES in Colt Park '74, like you just great party meds.
Re: (Score:2)
> But no matter how deep I went - and I went 800 mcg of LSD deep - the hallucinations topped off at melty, wooshy, and emotionally bizarre and impactful. I never hallucinated specific, coherent events or individuals.
Makes me wonder if that is related to how one normally thinks? Lately, I've been reading/watching more about how neurotypical versus various neurodivergent types perceive things. One of the topics is how one experiences thoughts. The visualization of things falls on a spectrum ranging from those who can visualize photographic images on one end to the other end being aphantasia - where they cannot form visual images at all.
That's definitely a thing, and people having different types of acid trips is definite
Re: (Score:2)
Yeah, same here. Except for my first, which was unexpected and unintended. I was 10. I had just been put on Ritalin, which kept me up all night. So, they gave me Xanax to help me sleep. The two interacted in surprising ways. I saw the seven dwarfs turn into gremlins that attacked me. Dad turned into Skeletor. It wasn't fun. When I was older, I figured I could have made it fun if I had known what I was doing but never managed to create a similar experience.
Well, I did once hallucinate a conversat
Re: (Score:2)
I'm not much into drugs, but I have always wanted to try psychedelics. Sounds so interesting! But I wouldn't know where to get any or how to safely take one.
Re: (Score:2)
I had one breakthrough DMT experience where I saw 'the machine elves' (I just saw what I describe as fast-moving fractals that I 'felt' were beckoning to me); but, we have matching experiences w/the other primary psychedelics: I only had relatively minor on-top visual distortions with even the largest doses of LSD (1500+ mcg) or mushrooms.
That said, everyone is different. I know that some of my friends absolutely lost their fucking minds on a few tabs of LSD and, purportedly, experienced wild hallucinations
Re: (Score:2)
I'm guessing you don't experience intense anxiety in life, or have an anxiety disorder that 30% of humans live with. The potential anxiety problems or bad trips don't have much to do with hallucinations though, just paranoia and the fact that some substances or just feelings set off the stress response in some people. I can't take anything like LSD. THC gives me terror. Like extreme psychosis terror. It's no fun. 30-some years ago when cannabis came from Jamaica and had about 3-5% THC it was not a problem,
Psychonauts (Score:3)
I believe I speak for all psychonauts when I say, "take my money"
Reality? (Score:4, Interesting)
Of course this invites the wacky hypothesis that the mushrooms enable the person eating them to perceive something that is real but hidden somehow. I propose to test this by having multiple people take it in the same time and place, and then independently produce detailed descriptions of the specific tiny people that they see. They will either match or they won't, and then we'll have the answer.
We must get to the bottom of this!
Re: (Score:2)
why do rats who have never seen a cat, have reactions to cat fur? Is it learned or built in ? Why do humans who have reactions to this substance see elfs/tiny human ? Is it learned or built in
Re: (Score:2)
Genetic instinct. They've knocked genes out of mice that removed their fear of cats.
I've often wondered if the legends of elves, goblins and trolls are the remnants of our ancient memories of other hominids.
Most boletes are safe to eat, but (Score:3)
... two warning signs are red colour and bluing when cut, and this has them both.
Re: (Score:2)
Eating wild or unidentified mushrooms seems like one of those things where the reward doesn't come anywhere near the risk. Like Fugu.
Common Side Effects (Score:2)
A fantastic animated series showcases this exact phenomenon. Well except for the strange healing powers. But anyhow it’s very entertaining and definitely worth your time. [1]https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2... [imdb.com]
[1] https://www.imdb.com/title/tt28093628/
What if it filters certain visible frequencies (Score:5, Funny)
revealing that the tiny people are actually there?
Re: (Score:1)
Perhaps this was the reason behind Randy Newman's composition....?
"...short people got...no reason to live...."
Re: (Score:2)
Then 7 of 9 would have warned us about them, being able to see them with her Borg implants, and silently formulated a plan to make them leave.