Bioprinting "plastic" from pearl oysters 🦪

Hey there, shroomers 🍄

Happy Friday! Here’s what we found while foraging ‘round the mushroom world this week…

Eye candy 🍬

fungi_photographer on Instagram captures some of the best macro mushroom scenes I’ve ever seen. Just look at the glass-like stem on this lil’ guy!

Check out their profile for more unbelievable close-ups!

Growing gourmet 👨‍🌾

So many buzzwords: Researchers are experimenting with a 3D-bioprinted, food-grade gel material infused with pearl oyster (Pleurotus ostreatus) mycelium as an environmentally friendly alternative to polystyrene foams. 🖨

Dry topic: Drying penny bun (Boletus edulis) mushrooms with hot air can improve their flavor profile compared to typical vacuum drying methods. 🏜

Psychedelic law ⚖

London shroomin: UK Member of Parliament Charlotte Nichols is advocating for psilocybin therapy coverage through the National Health Service. 👀

Denied: Two Vancouver city councilors pushed for a “regulatory framework” on retail psychedelic shops — but the broader council rejected the motion. 👎

Déjà vu: Remember last month when Ontario’s FunGuyz opened a second psilocybin store without a license? Guess who just got raided … again. 🚨

Research roundup 👩‍🔬

Headache relief: A new study found that “3-dose pulses” of psilocybin, 6 months apart, reduced cluster headache frequency by almost 50%. 🤯

Go out in style: Loop Biotech has designed a “living coffin” — a biodegradable mushroom cocoon that “becomes one with nature in 45 days.” 💀

Yoink: Missouri’s House of Representatives approved a bill that will earmark $10 million from state opioid settlement funds to research psilocybin treatment for opiate addiction. 🔬

Across the shroomer-verse ☄

That smelly smell: Love it or hate it, manure is a tremendous growing substrate for some of our favorite fungi. In this guide, we investigate fungi that are fiends for dung! 💩

Meet the ghost plant: This wildflower shuns photosynthesis in favor of nutrients from fungi — and in the process, ghost plants shine light on nature’s collaborative spirit. 👻