Psilocybin’s Evolutionary History Is Crazier Than We Thought

Happy Monday! Welcome to another edition of The Drop In, DoubleBlind’s newsletter delivering independent journalism about psychedelics straight to your inbox.

Today’s lead story is about new research that further deepens the evolutionary mystery of psilocybin. Scientists have found that two entirely different mushrooms evolved to develop their own ways of making the compound. (What are the chances of that?!) We get into it and so much more below!

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Mary Carreón
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Nature Engineered Psilocybin Twice Through Different Mushrooms

German scientists discovered that fungi developed independent pathways to the same psychedelic molecule, deepening the mystery of why mushrooms make it at all.

Scientists recently discovered evidence showing that two completely different mushrooms invented their own ways of making psilocybin, the psychedelic compound in “magic” mushrooms. The discovery, made by German researchers, reveals that psilocybin evolved twice in nature through separate biochemical pathways. A new research paper says that this is an extraordinary case of convergent evolution, underscoring both the adaptability of fungi and the mystery of this molecule.

“This concerns the biosynthesis of a molecule that has a very long history with humans,” says Dr. Dirk Hoffmeister, head of pharmaceutical microbiology at Friedrich Schiller University Jena, to Technology Networks. “We are referring to psilocybin, a substance found in so-called ‘magic mushrooms,’ which our body converts into psilocin – a compound that can profoundly alter consciousness.” (Psilocin is technically the intoxicating compound in mushrooms responsible for inducing the psychedelic experience.)

Until now, scientists believed psilocybin was produced mainly by Psilocybe mushrooms, using a well-studied gene cluster called “psi.” But other mushrooms — including Inocybe — also carry psilocybin, raising the question of whether they relied on the same genetic machinery.

Hoffmeister’s team set out to test this directly in Inocybe corydalina, also known as the “fiber cap mushroom.” Their experiments identified a completely separate set of genes, dubbed “ips,” that guide psilocybin production. When expressed in bacteria, these genes created enzymes that stitched together psilocybin step by step.

The team was reportedly shocked by the findings. “It was like looking at two different workshops, but both ultimately delivering the same product,” says lead author Dr. Tim Schäfer. “In the fiber caps, we found a unique set of enzymes that have nothing to do with those found in Psilocybe mushrooms. Nevertheless, they all catalyze the steps necessary to form psilocybin.”

This proves that psilocybin biosynthesis evolved independently at least twice, with Inocybe even producing related compounds like baeocystin along the way. “Here, nature has actually invented the same active compound twice,” says Schäfer.

The bigger question — why mushrooms make psilocybin at all — remains unanswered, however. “The real answer is: We don’t know,” says Hoffmeister. Some researchers suspect it acts as a chemical defense, noting that Psilocybe mushrooms famously bruise blue when damaged, a reaction linked to the breakdown of psilocybin.

Beyond evolutionary intrigue, these new findings carry promise. With a second genetic pathway now mapped, scientists have more tools for biotechnological production — potentially making psilocybin easier to synthesize for medical use.

An Indigenous Mushroom Retreat Faces a Growing Environmental Threat

For nearly two decades, a collective of Rastafari teachers and artisans has built a 30-acre sanctuary near Montego Bay—honoring Afro-Indigenous traditions, hosting wellness retreats, and offering sacred plant medicine ceremonies. But a massive state-backed road project has stripped trees, polluted the Montego River, and jeopardized the village’s fragile economy and way of life.

Now, as chainsaws roar and silt clouds the water, residents are fighting to protect their oasis—and raising hard questions about who really benefits from Jamaica’s latest wave of “development.”

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DoubleBlind Digs

• The Black Psychedelic Learning Project is collecting stories from African American trainees in Psychedelic-Assisted Therapy programs to identify gaps and push for systemic change. Their research, rooted in African Psychology and Indigenous methodologies, aims to make psychedelic training more inclusive and accountable. Learn more here and here.

• The Shatter Foundation is hosting a virtual 5K to raise money for veterans and first responders to access psychedelic-assisted therapy, in partnership with Florida International University’s Society of Psychedelic Science. Run from anywhere in the world, support the cause, and help shatter the stigma. Learn more here.

• Can psychedelics truly make us better people—or just make us feel that way? On October 9 at Brooklyn’s Rakit Club, philosophers Jules Evans and Jay Michaelson, PhD, will tackle this question through the lens of virtue ethics and human flourishing in the latest Synchronicity Speaker Series event. Learn more here.

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