Mushrooming Minds, Super Plants, Plz Call Your Friends

Curiosity Weekly

Warner Bros. Discovery

Science

4.6 • 963 Ratings

🗓️ 21 September 2022

⏱️ 13 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Magic mushrooms are giving researchers hope in treating conditions like anxiety and depression, a new study may have found the key to increasing photosynthesis efficiency in plants, and research shows that we love being reached out to by old friends!

Mushrooming Minds

'They Broke My Mental Shackles': Could Magic Mushrooms be the Answer to Depression? by Josh Jacobs
- https://www.theguardian.com/science/2019/jun/10/magic-mushrooms-treatment-depression-aztecs-psilocybin-mental-health-medicine
Psilocybin Produces Substantial and Sustained Decreases in Depression and Anxiety in Patients with Life-Threatening Cancer: A Randomized Double-Blind Trial by Roland R. Griffiths, et al.
- https://dx.doi.org/10.1177%2F0269881116675513
Rapid and Sustained Symptom Reduction Following Psilocybin Treatment for Anxiety and Depression in Patients with Life-Threatening Cancer: A Randomized Controlled Trial by Stephen Ross, et al.
- https://doi.org/10.1177/0269881116675512
Psilocybin-Induced Decrease in Amygdala Reactivity Correlates with Enhanced Positive Mood in Healthy Volunteers by Rainer Kraehenmann, et al.
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsych.2014.04.010
Therapeutic Mechanisms of Psilocybin: Changes in Amygdala and Prefrontal Functional Connectivity during Emotional Processing after Psilocybin for Treatment-Resistant Depression by Lea J. Mertens, et al.
- https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0269881119895520
Limbic System: Amygdala by The University of Texas McGovern Medical School
- https://nba.uth.tmc.edu/neuroscience/m/s4/chapter06.html

Super Plants

Scientists Resurrect Ancient Enzymes To Improve Photosynthesis by Krishna Ramanujan
- https://cals.cornell.edu/news/2022/04/scientists-resurrect-ancient-enzymes-improve-photosynthesis
Improving the Efficiency of Rubisco by Resurrecting Its Ancestors in the Family Solanaceae by Myat T. Lin, et al.
- https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.abm6871
Scientists Take Step to Improve Crops’ Photosynthesis, Yields by Krishna Ramanujan
- https://news.cornell.edu/stories/2021/08/scientists-take-step-improve-crops-photosynthesis-yields
Small Subunits Can Determine Enzyme Kinetics of Tobacco Rubisco Expressed in Escherichia Coli by Myat T. Lin, et al.
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-020-00761-5

Plz Call Your Friends

“Unexpectedly reaching out to a friend is more appreciated than people assume, new study shows” by Douglas Heingartner
- https://www.psychnewsdaily.com/reaching-out-more-appreciated-than-assumed/
“The Surprise of Reaching Out: Appreciated More Than We Think” by Peggy J. Liu, SoYon Rim, Lauren Min, and Kate E. Min
- https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/psp-pspi0000402.pdf

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, you're about to get smarter in just a few minutes with Curiosity Daily from Discovery.
0:09.0	Time flies when you're learning super cool stuff. I'm Nate.
0:12.0	And I'm Kali. If you're dropping in for the first time
0:14.3	welcome to curiosity where we aim to blow your mind by helping you to grow your mind.
0:18.2	If you're a loyal listener, welcome back. Today you'll learn about how magic mushrooms are helping fight depression, new efforts to use ancient
0:26.1	plants to improve photosynthesis, and the surprising effects of calling your friends.
0:31.4	Without further ado, let's satisfy some curiosity.
0:34.3	I know we all love talking about how cool the brain is,
0:37.2	so I think you'll like today's story about the amygdala.
0:40.0	Okay, doesn't the amygdala regulate our feelings?
0:43.4	Yep, it's usually pretty good at keeping our emotions stabilized, but an over-stimulated
0:48.9	amygdala can cause some pretty intense emotions, and a consistently overactive one often leads to issues like
0:54.7	anxiety and depression. Currently there are treatments on the market like antidepressants but unfortunately they
1:00.0	don't always work for all patients. New studies have shown that these patients might be able to get a little bit of help from mushrooms.
1:06.0	Hmm, what kind of mushrooms are we talking here?
1:10.0	Lions, mane, Devil's Fingers, Indigo Milk Cap.
1:14.0	Okay, so Magic Mushrooms.
1:17.0	Well, okay, not the actual mushrooms per se,
1:19.0	but a chemical inside them called Silasibin.
1:22.0	Isn't that a psychedelic drug?
1:24.0	It is, and one that's found in about 200 different species of mushrooms.
1:28.0	Researchers say that our current antidepressants have a sort of doling effect that allows patients to cope with their
	...

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