Science in Small Bites
“The good thing about science is that it’s true, whether or not you believe in it.” ~ Neil deGrasse Tyson.
Segment One: The weirdest mushroom ever
September is Mushroom Month. No, I am not kidding, so it is incumbent upon all mushroom lovers to salute our 14,000 species of fungi. (There are likely millions of species, but they are yet to be identified.)
Over the years, I have written many columns about mushrooms, but not one of those fungi is as strange as the one we’ll talk about in this story, not even close.
Of course, most people have heard about psychedelic mushrooms, psilocybin, for example. But a close relative of the porcini, one of the most delicious and sought-after mushrooms in the world, takes the cake when it comes to hallucinations.
The “WOW” factor about Lanmaoa asiatica, found in Asia, SE Asia, and Oceania, is that nearly everyone who eats the mushroom raw or undercooked experiences the same hallucination: they see innumerable tiny people dressed in bright clothing, like clowns, fairies, and elves, running about. This extraordinary hallucination can last for several days.
How is this possible?
Science does not yet know, but suspects that this species, which looks identical to a bi-colored bolete, contains a unique compound responsible for the shared hallucination.
Think about it: doesn’t a singularly shared hallucination about fairies, elves, and clowns smack of something cultural in nature, rather than a complex series of neural connections to different parts of the brain?
It would be like anyone who eats a certain wild plant were to have a hallucination of the Rolling Stones performing Sympathy for the Devil, even in areas of the world that have never even heard of the rock band. Fairies and elves are generally an artifact of Western folklore, but people in China have the same Lilliputian hallucinations as those who do in Ireland.
I, for one, would love to know the answer to this fungal mystery, and I assure you I will be following this story to its conclusion, if there is one.
Segment Two: Good to the last drop – coffee and caffeine
“Tumble out of bed, and I stumble to the kitchen. Pour myself a cup of ambition, and yawn and stretch and try to come to life.”
I am using this opportunity to mourn the author of the lyrics to “9 to 5,” the theme song from the movie of the same name, Dolly Parton. We’ll miss you, Dolly, for your music as well as your sense of humor and generosity. In these troubled times, you represented the very best in humanity.
OK, back to the subject at hand – coffee, or, more specifically, caffeine. Coffee has gotten a bad rap over the years, and when something we consume is made to sound unhealthy, enjoying it comes with a guilt tax. But not so much now that scientists who study the effects of caffeine have found a litany of positive health benefits associated with the world’s favorite psychoactive sub- stance – caffeine.
Many of the myths about coffee have been dispelled. It does not cause heart disease, high blood pressure, dehydration, belly fat, or cancer, and it most definitely does not stunt your growth.
The French National Medical Research Institute has compiled a lengthy list of caffeine’s health benefits, based on hundreds of controlled studies conducted over 30 years. Dr. Astrid Nehlig is Research Director at the French National Medical Research Institute. Her research interests are the health benefits of caffeine and coffee.
What follows is an overview of caffeine’s effects, including its stimulatory effects on the brain, and how a reasonable amount of caffeine can prevent certain diseases. 16th-century scientist Paracelsus said that everything can be toxic in large amounts and that “the dose makes the poison.”
Even water can be toxic if you drink too much of it too fast; this can lead to a serious condition called hyponatremia. The same goes for vitamins, pain relievers, and even caffeine when consumed at 1200 mg or more. In recent years, a 17-year-old Texas cheerleader and a 16-year-old boy in South Carolina died from drinking too much coffee and energy drinks in a short period of time.
And remember, caffeine is found in many more items than just coffee – it’s in soft drinks, some food items, and even medicines. Let’s examine the common drinks that contain caffeine and how much caffeine they contain.
Green tea has about 52 mg per regular-size cup, black tea has 77 mg, drip coffee has 151 mg, and Coke has approximately 34 mg per 12-ounce serving. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends no more than 400 mg per day for most people, which is about four cups of coffee. Too much caffeine can cause sleeplessness, anxiety, and the jitters for some, while others can drink it right before bedtime and lose no sleep whatsoever.
At a basic level, caffeine boosts physical and cognitive performance in moderation. Caffeine blocks adenosine, a compound that makes you feel weary, so you feel more focused and alert. Caffeine elevates dop-amine and norepinephrine, which enhance mood and cognition.
Good news for runners, cyclists, hikers, and the athletes among us – caffeine stimulates muscles, enhancing endurance, and even burns body fat by raising your metabolic rate.
As for serious diseases, specific compounds in coffee beans, even decaf coffee, lower the risk of type 2 diabetes. If the previous benefits discussed have you jumping for joy and another cup of java, caffeine lowers the risk of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.
A word of caution: If you don’t drink your coffee straight up and black, adding cream and/or sugar can reduce or completely diminish the health benefits of black coffee. I confess that, even knowing this, it doesn’t stop me from getting a latte or cappuccino at that cute little coffee wagon on Route 219 just north of Lewisburg. (No, I have no financial interest in this enterprise; I just love their coffee drinks.)
As for the science quiz from the last issue of “For Your Consideration,” three readers responded with the correct answer to the photo of an oak apple gall: Dawn Kersting, John Jett and Mark Mengele.
“The spherical object pictured in the photo is a gall that is formed when a female gall wasp places an egg into plant tissue such as an oak tree leaf or twig. The hatching larva releases chemicals or hormones that trick the tree’s DNA. This causes the tree to build a protective, round capsule of plant tissue around the larva. The larva lives and feeds inside this ball until it turns into an adult. It then chews a small exit hole to escape,” said Dawn Kersting.
Ken Springer
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