Soil samples taken from Kakadu and Litchfield National Parks in the Northern Territory have revealed traces of what scientists believe is a new species of psychedelic mushroom.
Key points:
- A new species of psychedelic mushroom has been identified in the Northern Territory
- Researchers are putting together Australia’s first legal collection of magic mushrooms
- Could magic mushroom research lead to better animal welfare outcomes for Australia’s livestock sector?
The discovery was made by Alistair McTaggart, a fungal genetics researcher at University of Queensland, who is leading a project to curate Australia’s first legal collection of native “magic” mushrooms.
“I was researching the distribution of another magic mushroom called gold tops, and found DNA sequences of this unknown fungi,” Dr McTaggart said.
“This mushroom was discovered from DNA sequences in the soil and we can be very confident that it would produce psilocybin, a naturally occurring psychedelic compound.”
Read more at the ABC Australia.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-04-02/new-species-of-magic-mushroom-discovered-in-kakadu/100960044