Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
January 9, 2024
Virginia Ramírez-Cruz, Giuliana Furci, Alexander J. Bradshaw et al.
30 citations
The psychedelic alkaloid psilocybin, driving Psychedelics and Drug Studies, first evolved in the mushroom genus Psilocybe around 67 million years ago. Evolutionary biology indicates its biosynthetic gene cluster transferred horizontally 4 to 5 times to other fungi between 40 and 9 million years ago. Using 71 fungal metagenomes, Phylogenetics of 2,983 gene families reveals Psilocybe's deep Biology. Two distinct psilocybin gene cluster arrangements correspond to major clades, suggesting independent acquisitions of this alkaloid's chemical synthesis, impacting Fungal Biology and Applications.
Applied and Environmental Microbiology
November 29, 2022
Virginia Ramírez-Cruz, Giuliana Furci, Paul Stamets et al.
29 citations
Psilocybin, the psychoactive compound in magic mushrooms, is being used therapeutically for depression, PTSD, and end-of-life care, highlighting the need for better understanding of the organisms that naturally produce it.
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
July 25, 2018
Ali R. Awan, Jaclyn M. Winter, Daniel J. Turner et al.
26 citations
preprint
Psilocybin, the psychoactive compound found in dozens of mushroom species, is being studied for treating addiction, depression, and end-of-life suffering. New genome analyses of the hallucinogenic mushrooms Psilocybe cyanescens and Pluteus salicinus confirm and refine the genes responsible for psilocybin biosynthesis, showing that a previously implicated transcription factor is not part of that gene cluster. The mushroom Inocybe corydalina produces psilocybin but lacks the established cluster, and an alternative cluster is described. Meta-transcriptome analysis of wild mushrooms reveals gene expression from fly larvae growing inside Psilocybe cyanescens, and these larvae were reared to adulthood. Psilocybin does not fully protect against insect consumption, suggesting its ecological role as a defense compound may need rethinking.
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
December 7, 2024
Alexander J. Bradshaw, Cathy Sharp, B. van der Merwe et al.
2 citations
preprint
The closest wild relative of the widely cultivated magic mushroom Psilocybe cubensis has been discovered in sub-Saharan Africa and named Psilocybe ochraceocentrata. DNA analysis of type specimens and multi-locus phylogenetic and molecular clock dating show the two species last shared a common ancestor about 1.5 million years ago (range 710,000 to 2.55 million years ago), long before cattle domestication or modern humans appeared. This refutes the long-held hypothesis that P. cubensis was introduced to the Americas via cattle brought from Africa around 1500 CE. Both species grow on herbivore dung, which likely pre-adapted P. cubensis to specialize on domesticated cattle dung. Ecological niche modeling indicates the species have been present across Africa, Asia, and the Americas over the last 3 million years.
Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences
March 11, 2026
Alexander J. Bradshaw, Cathy Sharp, B. van der Merwe et al.
The psychedelic mushroom Psilocybe cubensis, first described from Cuba in 1906, was long thought to have been introduced to the Americas with cattle from Africa and Europe around 1500 CE. A new cryptic species, Psilocybe ochraceocentrata, has been discovered in sub-Saharan Africa as the closest wild relative of P. cubensis. DNA analysis of African Psilocybe specimens and molecular clock dating show the two species last shared a common ancestor about 1.5 million years ago, well before cattle domestication. Both species grow on large herbivore dung, indicating a predisposition to cattle dung. Ecological niche modeling suggests the common ancestor had suitable habitat across Africa, Asia, and the Americas over the last 3 million years, shedding light on the wild origins of domesticated P. cubensis.
Phytotaxa
February 16, 2026
Paula Santos da Silva, Virginia Ramírez-Cruz, Alexander J. Bradshaw et al.
Psilocybe, the genus of fungi known as 'magic mushrooms' that produce psychoactive compounds, is the focus of renewed research interest because of its potential as a therapy for the global mental health crisis. Examining 62 specimens representing 10 species from southern Brazil using morphological data and DNA sequences, this work reports new records of P. subaeruginascens and P. yungensis, expanding knowledge of their occurrence and geographic range. A novel species, Psilocybe araucariicola, is introduced and characterized through morphology and DNA sequencing. Phylogenetic analyses with rDNA ITS, rpb2, and tef1 sequences clarify its relationship to other Psilocybe species.
bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)
January 2, 2026
Jason C. Slot, Alexander J. Bradshaw, Bryn T. M. Dentinger et al.
Psilocybe fuscofulva, a species of psychedelic mushroom, lacks the blue bruising and psilocybin found in other Psilocybe species. Genome sequencing and phylogenomic analysis placed P. fuscofulva as the earliest-diverging lineage in Clade I and found no psilocybin gene cluster (PGC) homologs in its genome, while all other examined Psilocybe genomes contained a single intact PGC. The PGC resides in two distinct, clade-specific genomic loci, with characteristic gene orders and orientations suggesting rearrangement through circular intermediates. Time-calibrated phylogenies estimated the Psilocybe crown group at about 28 million years ago, with major clade divergences in the Miocene. The absence of the PGC in P.
Figshare
January 1, 2026
Alexander J. Bradshaw, Cathy Sharp, B. van der Merwe et al.
The closest wild relative of the widely cultivated psychedelic mushroom Psilocybe cubensis has been discovered in sub-Saharan Africa and named Psilocybe ochraceocentrata. DNA analysis of type specimens and molecular clock dating show the two species last shared a common ancestor about 1.5 million years ago (95% HPD: 710,000–2.55 million years ago), long before cattle domestication. Both species grow on herbivore dung, indicating that coprophagy likely preadapted P. cubensis to its current specialization on domesticated cattle dung. Ecological niche modeling suggests the ancestor of P. cubensis was present across Africa, Asia, and the Americas over the last 3 million years, challenging the earlier hypothesis that it was introduced to the Americas with cattle around 1500 CE.
DRYAD
December 3, 2025
Alexander J. Bradshaw, Cathy Sharp, B. van der Merwe et al.
A significant discovery in **evolutionary biology** reveals a new "magic mushroom" **genus** member, *Psilocybe ochraceocentrata*, from Zimbabwe. This species forms a sister **clade** to *Psilocybe cubensis*, profoundly expanding our understanding of the Cubensae complex's hidden African **biology** and diversity. By modeling **geography** and **ecology**, this work aims to pinpoint *P. cubensis*'s debated origins. Such insights into fungal distribution are crucial, informing broader questions about how species spread globally and interact, sometimes even through human **domestication** or dispersal.