Mushroom Revival Podcast

Where is psilocybin headed? Recent societal vindication of psilocybin and other psychedelic therapies are paving a prominent future for these substances, especially in psychiatric therapy. But how do we navigate this resurgence for the better? What conversations should be had, what questions should be asked, and who should we trust? These are big questions that will evolve with the industry. Today...

How did multicellular life evolve? We don’t know! However, fungi are helping us develop ideas about the emergence of complex life. Today we are joined by Dr. William Ratcliff, who has successfully induced naturally unicellular yeast to evolve into multicellular ‘snowflake yeasts’ in his lab at Georgia Tech. Prepare for a delightful interview featuring evolutionary history, biotechnology, semantics...

Love chocolate? You have fungi to thank for that! On today's show we are walking you through the complex journey between the cocoa bean and a chocolate bar.  The unmatchable decadence is achieved by unique fermentation methods and microbes. Yeast, filamentous fungi, and bacteria are all at play and today we have a chocolate scientist and PhD candidate, Caitlin Clark, who has dedicated her res...

Over one million specimens of fungi share a space known as the Fungarium at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. It is the largest collection of dried fungi in the world with specimens as old as the 1700s. Today we welcome lead mycologist Tuula Niskanen, and Fungarium curator Lee Davies to spotlight this important collection. We discuss when, where, why, and how fungi from all over the world are collec...

Today’s show covers a field known as mycovirology, or the study of viruses that infect fungi. This esoteric science is nascent but profound in its applications, and we are welcoming one of the few people in the world who are studying these relationships. Why do mycoviruses matter? How can we work with and against them? How can this subfield influence mycology as a whole? We welcome Dr. Brenda Wing...

Today we have the pleasure of speaking with Josh Bartch, the CEO of Mydecine, a research & development company with a special interest in psilocybin and psychoactive treatments. We discuss the origins of their work, their team, and current research and practices in the field. Topics covered: Mydecine's mission and commitment to human benefit via fungal discovery Psilocybin treatment for P...

Zombie fungi aren't just cool — they're extremely useful. Dr. Brian Lovett is back on the show to discuss the powers of entomopathogenic fungi. We get into the weeds of what makes these fungi equip for success as carnivores, transgenic engineering, the evolution of pathology and more. Brian also shares cutting edge research from the MosquitoSphere in Burkina Faso, where he and his team w...

Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is one of fungi’s most well known chemical analogues. Today we bring you a leading scientist, Dr. David Nichols who speaks to the history, chemistry, legality and so much more of this notable compound.   Topics covered: David Nichol’s career pursuing psychedelic pharmacology Patent litigation, especially with psychedelic constituents  Lab testing for new psychedeli...

Ergot describes a group of fungi with powerful alkaloids. So powerful, that they have impact in history, medicine, and possibly religion. It's famous for the morbid poisoning in humans, for catalyzing the synthesis of LSD,  and its potential role in ancient ceremony. Today we are honored to speak with Dr. Daniel Panaccione, who is one of few ergot alkaloid specialists. Having studied their bi...

To celebrate our 100th episode, we kick off the show with a compilation of all the responses to our classic question "If mushrooms had the mic and could say one thing to the whole human race, what would they say?" We also have some updates for you all, including a message of gratitude for making the podcast possible. Enjoy the condensed fungal wisdom and some candid conversation between...

We are humbled to be speaking with psychedelic pioneer, Dennis McKenna. Dennis and his late brother Terrence are some of the most influential figures in western psychedelic culture. The brothers contributed to the introduction to psilocybin mushrooms in the United States, including but not limited to, cultivation techniques, ethnomycology, user guidance, and providing spores. Dennis was active in...

A milestone for mycelium has emerged. Adidas has partnered with Bolt threads, a biomaterials company, to use mycelium in their Stan Smith Mylo Edition shoes.  Built with biology, crafted with humanity— Bolt Threads is pioneering the use of fungal materials into industrial commodities, and it's not something their team takes lightly. Today we are joined by the co-founder of Bolt Threads, Dr. D...

What does commercial mushroom farming look like in the United States? Today we welcome the production manager of Far West Fungi, Kyle Garrone, to share the history of commercial farming in the US. Far West Fungi has been in business for over 35 years, and the team has traveled far and wide to learn from mushroom farms around the globe. Kyle has designed systems for large scale cultivation in Calif...

If you aren't convinced that fungi are omnipresent, bizarre, and mighty, you haven't read Fungipedia. Today we are featuring some of our favorite segments from this book and are joined by the author himself, Lawrence Millman. Lawrence has traveled far and wide on quests for information on the fungal kingdom. Sit back and enjoy some wow factor fun facts on fungi. Topics Covered: Keratinop...

Billions of cicadas are due to emerge, and some of them will be infected with a truly peculiar fungus, Massospora cicadina. Referred to as Flying Salt Shakers of Death, these infected cicadas have a grim and bizarre future above ground. We are joined by the brilliant mycologist and entomologist, Dr. Brian Lovett, who talks us through the mechanisms behind this insidious fungus and why it’s worth s...

In today's show, we attempt to visit the mind of John Cage. A beloved artist and lesser known mycologist, John Cage created a variety of works with fungi as a central muse. Cage is famous for his musical compositions and performances, but today we are going spotlight his mycophilia and impact his devotion to mushrooms had on his creative and metaphysical senses. We are joined by the two autho...

What makes the Fly Agaric the most iconic mushroom in the world? And why, despite its prominence, is it so poorly understood? Today on the show we are starting from the ground up to demystify the reputations of this mushroom with cultural anthropologist, Kevin Feeney, PhD. In his book "Fly Agaric: A Compendium of History, Pharmacology, Mythology, & Exploration" Kevin has elaborated o...

Today we welcome Johanna Warren — a fellow mycophile, musician and mystic. Johanna’s storytelling is tranquil & relatable. She shares her personal pursuit of wellbeing in both physical and mental realms, and how psilocybin was an imperative element. Beyond the journey to wellbeing, we discuss how psilocybin weaves into creativity and how Johanna’s life as an artist has been influenced by plant...

A Doctor has filed a lawsuit against the DEA  for denying him permission to use psilocybin therapy in his palliative care. His team believes they are violating the humanitarian Right to Try for terminally ill patients. Today we invite Dr. Aggarwal, his patient Erinn Baldeschwiler and their lawyer, Kathryn Tucker J.D., to frame this unique and pivotal case against the DEA.   Topics Covered Psilocyb...

Should knowledge be free? Alexandra Elbakyan, the founder of Sci-Hub, believes it should be. In an industry already riddled with obstacles, Sci-Hub is an essential tool for researchers that provides free access to millions of scientific articles. The platform is simple — unlock and download  literature when these articles are otherwise blocked by paywalls, regardless of copyright. If it sounds lik...

Today features a conversation with Sophia Roe. As a major mushroom lover and renowned chef, mushrooms are a central muse for Sophia in the kitchen and way, way beyond. We discuss how fungi offer valuable insight to philosophical and ecological narratives. We challenge stigmas around mushrooms & fungi, and our associations of ‘bad’ with natural phenomena. Some modern day problems don’t have to...

Famous for her beloved books and elegant illustration, notably Petter Rabbit, this 19th century artist was also a mycologist. Beatrix Potter's contributions to mycology were significant, having observed and documented phenomena that previously speculated or unknown. Despite the misogyny that kept her work from scientific recognition, Potter persevered in her research. Today’s show is a spotli...

The biggest organism on Earth, by area, is a fungus. Specifically, it's Armillaria solidipes , aka the Honey Fungus. It’s edible, glows in the dark, is UV resistant, and is technically parasitic. Thriving in the Blue Mountains of Oregon, this tremendous individual covers approximately 3.7 sq miles, and could be over 8,000 years old. In today’s episode, we speak with an expert on this fungal g...

Marine fungi exist. And we know almost nothing about them. These elusive water dwelling fungi offer valuable insight to evolution, phylogenetics, ecological health, drug discovery, remediation and more. We welcome one of the few researchers who are surveying these fungi to share her findings and usher other researchers into the mysterious, essential world of marine fungi. We discuss the nascency o...

Today’s guest is the co-founder of Smallhold, Andrew Carter. Smallhold is a multi-operational mushroom farm implementing innovative logistics and technology to grow mushrooms everywhere. Hailing from Brooklyn and quickly expanding, Smallhold builds futuristic ‘minifarms’ that can be installed almost anywhere, empowering communities and businesses with a supply of local, quality mushrooms. We discu...