Month: January 2024

Kona Coffee Lawsuit

January 18, 2024

Kona Coffee Claims GET Litigated

On the volcanic slopes of Hawaii’s Big Island, hundreds of farmers in the Kona region produce one of the most expensive coffees in the world.

James Ehleringer

Those farmers recently won a series of settlements — totaling more than $41 million — after a nearly five-year legal battle with distributors and retailers that were accused of using the Kona name in a misleading way.

In 2019, Bruce Corker, who owns the Rancho Aloha coffee farm in the Kona district, filed a lawsuit on behalf of Kona farmers against more than 20 companies. At the center of the complaint was a chemical analysis performed at a private lab in Salt Lake City by James Ehleringer, Distinguished Professor in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Utah who ran the analysis and who said that standard tests depended on the amount of water in each sample. That wouldn’t have worked on the variety of Kona products at issue.

“As you go from green beans to roasted beans, you’re changing the water content,” says Ehleringer. So he borrowed an approach from geology that instead looked at the relative concentrations of rare, inorganic minerals in the beans. These ratios, he said, stay constant even at roasting temperatures.

After testing coffee samples from around the world as well as more than 150 samples from Kona farms, Dr. Ehleringer’s team identified several element ratios — strontium to zinc, for example, and barium to nickel — that distinguished Kona from non-Kona samples. “We were able to establish a fingerprint for Kona,” said Dr. Ehleringer, who described the general method in a 2020 study. “It’s the characteristics of the volcanic rock.”

Those chemical signatures, he found, were largely absent from samples of coffee labeled “Kona” sold by the defendants.

 

 

Read the full article in the New York Times by Virgina Hughes here.

The ‘Barbenheimer Star’

January 18, 2024

The ‘Barbenheimer Star’

Astronomy’s new blockbuster was announced in New Orleans during the 2024 American Astronomical Society meeting.

 

Joel Brownstein

“We’ve never seen anything like this,” says Alex Ji of the University of Chicago and SDSS, the lead author of the study. “Whatever happened back then, it must have been amazing. We nicknamed it the ‘Barbenheimer Star’ for its spectacular nucleosynthesis.”

Ji and colleagues didn’t see the Barbenheimer Star directly. Instead, they followed the trail back in time using a process called “stellar archaeology.” Just as archaeologists use evidence found in the present to reconstruct the past, astronomers use evidence found in today’s stars to reconstruct conditions in the ancient universe. Today’s stars are like chemical time capsules—they preserve what a piece of the universe was like when the star was born.

PHOTO CREDIT: UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO/SDSS-V/MELISSA WEISS (Left) Long ago, the supernova explosion of the Barbenheimer Star releases an unusual mix of chemical elements in to nearby gas clouds. (Right) Today, we can look at J0931+0038 to see that unusual mix of elements and reconstruct the history of the Barbenheimer Star.

“As we continue to map the sky, obtaining millions of spectra across the galaxy and extra-galactic black holes, astronomers are making great strides in adding to our understanding of how objects in the universe evolve,” says Joel Brownstein, research associate professor in the University of Utah’s Department of Physics & Astronomy and co-author of the study.

Brownstein is the head of data for SDSS and runs the Science Archive Server (SAS), which is hosted by the U’s Center for High Performance Computing. The SAS stores data transferred to Utah from the survey’s telescopes at Apache Point Observatory in North America and Las Campanas Observatory in South America. To manage the massive data flow, Brownstein led the effort to manage the pipelines that run on the SAS, which perform the scientific data reductions for shepherding the raw data from the telescopes into usable information, known as spectra, for thousands of SDSS members to access and analyze.

“It’s like making a daily feast,” Brownstein says. “Only a few people might make the meal’s courses, but everyone sits down to dinner. The pipelines are cooked by a few people, but millions of individual spectra and their associated parameters are consumed by thousands of people in the collaboration.”

Read the full article by Lisa Potter in @TheU. 

ACCESS: Margaret Call

January 17, 2024

Margaret Call: Pathfinder

 

Finding your path in life is rarely as simple as a 90-minute coming-of-age movie might suggest. It’s often slow, requires a good deal of trial and error, and can persist deep into the stages of a person’s life.

 

 

Margaret Call found herself facing this age-old dilemma while sitting in an advisor’s office in junior high. They went through the motions, discussing Margaret’s interests and ambitions, until landing on STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics.) Her advisor suggested ACCESS Scholars, a first-year community, research and scholarship program committed to advancing gender equity in STEM at the University of Utah. The suggestion stuck around in Margaret’s mind until senior year of high school when she decided to apply with her eye on picking chemistry as her major on a pre-med track.

As a research-oriented person, Margaret found the opportunities ACCESS offered appealing, even if she wasn’t going to end up under the research umbrella. Keeping her options opened ended up paying off.

The ACCESS Experience

ACCESS kicks off the summer before classes start with a two-week live-in component. Students learn what the College of Science and the U have to offer while getting to know their cohort. For Margaret, this was the highlight of the whole experience.

“The chance to explore the university campus for a couple of weeks helped me to feel comfortable as a student in knowing where I was and what I was doing,” said Margaret. “It was through the summer portion that I made my best friends in college. There is honestly no substitute for making friends in a space where you have common interests and experiences. I know that they have my back when things are difficult, and they understand even the parts related to being a woman in a male-dominated field.”

Beyond finding a community, Margaret found her path through education. A capstone project and environmental science curriculum helped her discover a passion for climate science and policy.

“The summer coursework changed my entire college pathway. I would never have arrived in the geosciences without it. The space to explore different fields that I hadn’t wasn’t aware of in a low-risk environment allowed me to consider pathways I didn’t even know were available.”

18 Months Later

Margaret, now a sophomore in geoscience and geophysics, and over a year removed from the summer component of ACCESS, has dived deep into the world of research. She joined Pete Lippert’s lab in the Utah Paleomagnetic Center, working on an air quality project. The project, an “intersection between atmospheric science, climate science, and geoscience,” as Margaret puts it, works to “understand if biomagnetic monitoring techniques could be used to accurately measure particulate matter in the air.”

It's a sensitive process that can detect major inversion events as well as the difference in air quality in locations 20 feet from each other.

In addition to this research, Margaret stays busy with her work as a Science Ambassador, giving tours to prospective students looking to find their own path, and helping produce the Talking Climate Podcast hosted by the Wilkes Center for Climate Science & Policy.

A Bright Future

“My ultimate ambition, at the moment, is to become some form of researcher,” said Margaret. “Whether that’s through a more academic pathway or through a different laboratory setting, I would really like to eventually be studying climate through a geological lens.”

Her current interest is in the details that landscapes and rocks hold about Earth’s past climate. It’s a path that she credits ACCESS in helping her find.

“ACCESS was one of the single most important things to my success in college. I have made so many incredible connections through the program, to students, professors, mentors, and more that will shape the resources that I am able to access. It helped me to remember to keep an open mind when considering pathways, and now, three majors later, I think I’ve finally found it.”

Perhaps finding your path life is a constant, never-ending journey we’re all on. Thanks to ACCESS Scholars, Margaret got the jumpstart her future needed.

 

by Seth Harper

Interested in applying to the ACCESS Scholars program at the University of Utah? Click here. 

Kevin Davenport-Physics Circle

January 17, 2024

Overcoming Physics Phobia

“The core concept of physics is a physical intuition about the world,” Kevin Davenport says. “Human beings love to think about puzzles and problem solving.”

 

Davenport, who earned his doctorate at the U in 2019 is now an assistant lecture professor in the department of physics and astronomy and recipient of the College of Science’s 2023 Distinguished Educator Award. 

Inspired by the U's "Math Circle," one of the most well-established in the nation, Davenport, together with colleagues Oleg Starykh and Tugdual LeBohec, has been instrumental in creating Utah Physics Circle, a program designed to help high schoolers get involved in physics by fostering the specific type of thinking that physics requires. Meeting monthly, the Circle is built to facilitate the specific problem-solving mindset that will help students succeed in physics classes. “The point of the Physics Circle is to try to develop a group where we can invite people to come in and enjoy problem solving,” Davenport states.

Discipline-specific lenses

Davenport teaches a series of labs for non-majors that have a focus in life sciences. He creates his class with a lens towards students who are new to physics and haven’t mastered the intuitive way of thinking specific to physics. “When I design my classes this way, it's really important to not lose sight of what it feels like to not know how to do this,” he says. “We don't want them to have an experience where we put up this edifice of really complicated terminology and mathematics that seems impenetrable.”

Teaching a class as difficult as physics requires adapting to students and having many ways of teaching the same concepts. “I constantly rebuild my class,” Davenport says. “I'll try to tailor the examples and things we talk about to my students. If there's a lot of biology students, for instance, I'll pick problems that are probably of more interest to them.”

Davenport enjoys teaching students an introduction into physics. Most have very little understanding of physics when they come into a college physics class. They’re affected by what Davenport calls “physics phobia” because of how intimidating and new it is. But Davenport, who has a broad academic and work background in everything from information technology to design is uniquely poised to help students understand physics.

“What's interesting to me is explaining concepts to a large group of people where this is not the thing they've chosen to do with their life,” Davenport says. “I'm deeply interested in communicating complex ideas to people who don't understand the complex ideas initially.”

By CJ Siebeneck

Learn more about how to register as a member of Utah Physics Circle at the department website.

 

Condensed Matter Research Group

January 16, 2024

The universe within

by Christoph Boehme

The Department of Physics & Astronomy has a dedicated team of Experimental Condensed Matter (CME) Physicists exploring the enigmatic world of condensed matter, in the quest for discoveries that redefine our understanding of nature on the quantum scale.

The University of Utah’s Department of Physics & Astronomy is not just a place of academic inquiry; it is a crucible where the future of science and technology is being forged. The collaborative environment, state-of-the-art facilities, and the visionary leadership of our faculty have created a unique ecosystem for innovation. Here, curiosity-driven research converges with practical problem-solving, leading to discoveries that transcend the traditional boundaries of physics.  

 The CME research laboratories epitomize the department’s commitment to excellence that is not just confined to the CME research laboratories. It extends to the classroom and beyond, where future generations of physicists are nurtured. The department’s educational programs are designed to provide students with a solid foundation in physics and astronomy, while also encouraging them to engage in research projects that contribute to the department’s pioneering work. 

 The CME research group, in particular, exemplifies the department's ethos of pushing the frontiers of knowledge while fostering a collaborative and inclusive environment. This group's work, spanning from the study of quantum materials to the development of advanced spintronic devices, is not only a testament to their scientific prowess but also to their commitment to addressing some of the most pressing challenges in physics today.  

A review of the Department's six, celebrated CME laboratory operations reveals a rich landscape where advanced scientific inquiry meets real-world application.

 

 

Distinguished Professor Z. Valy Vardeny revolves around optical, electronic and magnetic properties of novel materials. Using a broad array of materials deposition, electrical, optical and magnetic characterization techniques, including ultrafast transient and steady-state spectroscopy, his work is, both literally and figuratively, shedding light on the behavior of photoexcitations in conducting polymers and hybrid organic-inorganic perovskite materials, which promes candidates for next-generation photovoltaics, lighting, and sensor technologies. The groundbreaking work of Professor  The Vardeny research group’s groundbreaking work on the Rashba effect in hybrid organic-inorganic perovskites, as detailed in a recent article in the Journal Nature Communications, has opened new pathways in understanding and manipulating quantum materials, promising advancements in fields ranging from solar energy to quantum computing. 

 

 

 


Adjacent to Prof. Vardeny’s lab in the basement of the James Fletcher Building, Professor Shanti Deemyad and her research group explore the frontiers of matter under extreme conditions, especially extreme pressure. Her research focuses on the intriguing behavior of quantum materials like superconductors and quantum solids under varying pressures and temperatures. The elucidation of the Fermi surface of lithium under high pressure that she and her coworkers recwently published in the Physical Review, is a testament to the department’s CME research endeavor to push the boundaries of known physics. Prof. Deemyad’s discoveries not only contribute to our understanding of quantum materials, but also pave the way for developing materials with unprecedented properties, potentially transforming industries from energy to aerospace. 

 

Across from Prof. Deemyad’s lab, Professor Vikram Deshpande’s laboratory is a hub of research activity focusing on atomically-thin nanostructures, so called 2D-materials. This work includes research on Dirac materials like graphene and topological insulators, a cutting-edge area of contemporary condensed matter physics. Professor Deshande’s The group’s landmark study on emergent helical edge states in a hybridized three-dimensional topological insulator, published last year in Nature Communications, not only highlights the department's forefront position in exploring new quantum states but also opens the door to applications in spintronics and quantum computing. This research is a step towards harnessing the unique properties of quantum materials for practical technologies that could revolutionize the electronic and computational landscape. 

Another, cutting edge and just recently (2022) built CME research lab within the Department of Physics & Astronomy is led Professor Eric Montoya’s lab, offering research on an array of magnetic materials and spintronic devices, being another testament to the department’s expertise in the field of magnetism and spin physics. Professor Montoya’s innovative work on the development of the easy-plane spin Hall oscillators, detailed in a recent Communications Physics publication, not only contributes to the fundamental understanding of spin physics but also offers exciting prospects for advancements in telecommunications and spintronics-based computing. The potential of this research in creating more efficient and powerful electronic devices is immense, indicating a future where technology is seamlessly integrated with advanced physics. 

Located next to Professor Montoya’s research laboratories in the Intermountain Network for Scientific Computing Center, is Professor Andrey Rogachev’s research group, who investigates the fascinating world of superconducting nanowires and thin films. Their groundbreaking study titled “Pair‐breaking quantum phase transition in superconducting nanowires” provided crucial insights into the behavior of these low-dimensional structures under external magnetic fields, contributing significantly to our understanding of quantum critical phenomena. This research not only furthers our knowledge of superconductivity but also provides a foundation for future explorations into quantum computing and ultra-sensitive magnetic field sensors.

Finally, there is my own research group which is a place where spin physics, quantum mechanics, and material science converge, with our research focus on the exploration of spin-dependent electronic transitions in condensed matter. The Christoph Boehme lab’s recent breakthrough demonstrating the existence of Floquet spin states in organic light emitting diodes, published in Nature Communications, is representative of how the department's CME research programs succeed in bridging the gap between quantum physics and practical applications. This research holds great promise for the development of new spin-based information technologies and quantum sensors, offering glimpses into a future where even more quantum phenomena are harnessed for technological advancements. 

Engaging with the Community and Beyond  

The department's efforts to engage with the broader community, including visiting students, scholars, but also anyone interested from the broader community, are an essential part of its mission. The department regularly hosts seminars, workshops, and public lectures to disseminate its findings and foster a dialogue with the public. These events provide a platform for sharing the excitement and significance of the research conducted within the department, inspiring not just the next generation of scientists but also the general public. 

 Visiting CME faculty and potential collaborators will find that the department offers a comprehensive overview of its research operations, showcasing its state-of-the-art facilities and the innovative work being conducted. This engagement is not just about showcasing the department’s achievements; it’s about building partnerships and collaborations that can lead to new discoveries and advancements in the field of physics and astronomy. 

 Envisioning the Future: Transformative Developments

The Applied Science Project: new home for Physics & Astronomy, January 2025.

The Department of Physics & Astronomy is on the cusp of a transformative era, marked by significant developments that promise to redefine its CME research landscape. Two pivotal elements shaping this future are the department's relocation to the newly built Applied Sciences Building and the strategic expansion of its faculty, focusing on CME research. 

The upcoming move of the department to the Applied Sciences Building is more than a change of location; it is a leap into a new realm of possibilities. This state-of-the-art facility, currently under construction, is meticulously designed to cater to the advanced requirements of CME research. The building will not only significantly enhance laboratory capacities but also foster an environment conducive to innovative research and interdisciplinary collaboration. 

The building's modern labs, coupled with office and educational spaces, will provide the perfect platform for researchers to delve deeper into the mysteries of quantum materials and phenomena. This new environment is expected to be a catalyst for groundbreaking discoveries, particularly in fields such as semiconductor and quantum physics, which are central to the department's research focus.  

Complementing the physical expansion is the department's ambitious faculty recruitment initiative, a critical component of its multi-year expansion plan in experimental condensed matter physics. This initiative is not just about adding numbers; it's about enriching the department's intellectual fabric with fresh perspectives and cutting-edge expertise. 

 The relocation to the Applied Sciences Building, combined with the strategic faculty expansion, marks the beginning of a new chapter for the Department of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Utah that holds the promise of groundbreaking research, transformative educational experiences, and a continued legacy of scientific excellence. As the department moves forward, it remains committed to exploring the unknown, pushing the boundaries of knowledge, and fostering a culture of discovery and innovation.  

 The Department of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Utah is hiring additional faculty and research staff for the Experimental Condensed Matter Research Group. Contact the department for more information.  

SRI Stories

January 16, 2024

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SRI Stories: Shadowing Medical Practices

 

“At a young age, I witnessed the effects diabetes had on the lifestyle of my grandparents and extended family members,” says Irvane Nelson, a Sophomore at the U and a participant in the Science Research Initiative (SRI).

“As a result, I sought to gain a better understanding of the disease through research to aid in the efforts against diabetes.” 

Before getting involved in SRI, Irvane had the unique experience of conducting research in a lab starting in high school. Working in Dr. Owen Chan’s lab in the Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Diabetes, Irvane was able to foster his interest in diabetes research, and names Dr. Chan his hero and biggest supporter in all his research and pre-med endeavors. 

Reflecting on this early exposure to diabetes research, Irvane notes, “Because of my background in sugar metabolism, I ended up working in a public health research lab to help develop ATSB sugar toxic baits.” His pivot to a different subject model as an SRI student was striking. Under the mentorship of Chris Bibbs, he is currently researching toxicology on mosquitoes, with a primary focus on creating less harmful insecticides. 

But his interest in diabetes continues in his SRI stream, reminding us all that there’s more than one path, ultimately, to find healthcare solutions through pure science. His current projects include studying how the brain responds to low blood sugar levels and investigating the toxicity of a substance called erythritol on Aedes Aegypti mosquitoes. Both projects involve aspects of sugar mechanisms, with the former analyzing the neural side of diabetes’ counter-regulation.

Irvane’s diverse research background, spanning academic research and public health issues, has helped set him up for success in his future plans. Looking ahead, Irvane has set ambitious goals for himself. Post-graduation, he plans to attend medical school and continue his efforts toward advancing diabetes treatment.

In the meantime, he is preparing to travel to Bangladesh this summer to shadow medical practices and gain insights into their treatments. Currently majoring in biology with a focus on cellular and molecular studies with a minor in chemistry, Irvane has found SRI to be a unique opportunity to learn and gain practical experience in his multiple fields of study. Outside of the lab, Irvane is an enthusiastic outdoor lover, and whether it's fly fishing in the picturesque Uintas or supervising swim lessons as a lifeguard, he makes sure to find time to enjoy all that Utah’s nature has to offer . . . while avoiding mosquito bites. 

 

By Julia St. Andre

SRI Stories is a series by the College of Science, intended to share transformative experiences from students, alums, postdocs and faculty of the Science Research Initiative. To read more stories, visit the SRI Stories page.

Presidential Societal Impact—Kevin Perry

January 16, 2024

Kevin Perry, Societal Impact Scholar

 

University of Utah President Taylor Randall has named five faculty members as 2024-25 Presidential Societal Impact Scholars for exemplary public engagement, including Atmopsheric Sciences Professor Kevin Perry.

 

The four include a range of faculty members whose impact varies from helping Utahns understand the danger posed by a shrinking Great Salt Lake to advocating for the rights and rehabilitation of incarcerated women and engaging college and high school students in projects that beautify public spaces with mural art.

Perry has studied the impacts of mineral dust for more than two decades, a research focus that took on major importance with the shrinking of the Great Salt Lake. Perry, riding a fat-tire bicycle, surveyed the 800-mile exposed lakebed and found dust from the lake contains high concentrations of toxic metals. To date, Perry has shared his research in three documentary films and more than 115 print, radio and TV interviews, including Popular Science, Discover Magazine, Outside Magazine, Newsweek, CNN, Le Monde and The Guardian. He has presented his findings to numerous policy-making organizations, such as the Utah Air Quality Board, Utah Clean Air Caucus, and the Utah Department of Environmental Quality. Perry has presented to many health care groups, including the Utah Public Health Association and the Central Utah Healthcare Coalition. He also serves as a member of the Great Salt Lake Strike Team and the Dust Alliance for North America. Perry also has participated in educational outreach activities, focused mostly on high school students.

Other awardees are V. Kim Martinez, professor, Department of Art & Art History; Emily Salisbury, director of the Utah Criminal Justice Center and associate professor, College of Social Work; Baodong Liu, professor, Department of Political Science and the Division of Ethnic Studies; and Amberly Johnson, director of the Utah Poison Control Center and assistant professor (clinical), College of Pharmacy.

“What is obvious in this award process is that we have many exceptional faculty who are having a broad impact,” said President Taylor Randall. “As a university, we aspire to improve the communities we serve by sharing our research and expertise in a variety of ways. Our award recipients have engaged in public activities that showcase their scholarship, influence their fields of study and contribute to the betterment of individuals and communities.”

Each scholar will receive a one-time cash award of $10,000 and support from University Marketing & Communications to promote their research, scholarship and initiatives.

Read the full press release, including details of all awardees here.

Fang Lab Enters Agreement

January 12, 2024

Fang Lab Enters Agreement with IPERIONX

 

Metallurgical Engineering professors in the University of Utah’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering recently signed a research agreement with IperionX (IPX) for $10M over ten years, effective January 1, 2024.

The Charlotte, NC-based IPX aims to become a leading American titanium and critical materials company — using patented metals technologies to produce high-performance titanium metal from titanium minerals or scrap titanium at lower energy, cost, and carbon emissions than conventional technologies.

The project is led by  Z. Zak Fang, professor of metallurgy in the John and Marcia Price College of Engineering and the College of Science, and is Co-led by Research Associate Professor Pei Sun.

The team of Fang’s powder metallurgy research lab in front of the laser 3D printing laboratory. Banner image above: Additively manufactured Ti-6Al-4V parts by the powder metallurgy laboratory at the University of Utah

Fang and his research team will provide IPX with research and development services related to metallurgical technologies to produce primary metals, advanced manufacturing technologies, including additive manufacturing (i.e., 3D printing) of titanium alloys, and recycling of rare earth metals from magnets used in wind turbines and electric vehicles.

“This academic-industry partnership of the Fang Lab and IperionX exemplifies the College of Science’s innovative bench-to-application research to meet the needs of our energy future,” said Dean Peter Trapa.

“Collaborations like this one are virtuous cycles; cutting-edge research and industry supporting one another is the backbone of a growing innovation economy,” says Richard Brown, H. E. Thomas Presidential Endowed Dean of the John and Marcia Price College of Engineering.

Read more about Dr. Fang's research in titanium here.

Underground Hazards & Safety in Mining

January 11, 2024

Underground Hazards & Safety in Mining

 

An educational collaboration between the Rocky Mountain Center for Occupational and Environmental Health (RMCOEH) and the Department of Mining Engineering at the University of Utah will bring new perspectives to tackle tough problems in mining safety.

W. Pratt Rogers

Mining technology in the United States has advanced immeasurably from minecarts and “jack-legs” (very large jackhammers), but working in or around mines still presents unique and serious hazards, says W. Pratt Rogers, PhD, associate professor in mining engineering. He describes the dangers of mining labor in terms of “high-energy zones”: regions where large and powerful machinery or heavy objects have the potential to exert massive amounts of force. “If you make one snap decision wrong in a high-energy zone, you can lose a leg, or your life,” he says. “We’ve made a lot of progress, but there are still fatalities. There are still massive injuries.”

DISRUPTING TUNNEL VISION

Addressing these hazards will take the best minds from across a wide variety of disciplines. One of the biggest strengths of the program, Rogers says, is that it will tap into that variety. Classes in the Mining Safety program will be taught by faculty members from the Department of Mining Engineering. But unlike standard engineering courses, these will be geared toward a broad spectrum of students within RMCOEH, with backgrounds ranging from industrial hygiene and emergency management to psychology and public health.

Charles Kocsis, PhD, chair of the Department of Mining Engineering and director of the Center for Mining Safety and Health Excellence, says that the collaboration will be a new development for the department. “We’re very excited, because it’s the first time that mining engineering steps out of the box.” The program is expected to begin accepting students in March 2024.

Read the full article by Sophia Friesen at U Health.

A study of ‘magic mushrooms’

January 10, 2024

a Study of 'Magic Mushrooms'

 

Psilocybe fungi, known colloquially as “magic mushrooms,” have held deep significance in Indigenous cultures of Mesoamerica for centuries.

Alexander Bradshaw, PhD'22, now postdoctoral researcher at the U and lead author of the study. Credit: Bryn Dentinger

They captured the wider world’s attention as a psychedelic staple in the 60s and 70s. Now, these infamous organisms are at the forefront of a mental health revolution. Psilocybin and psilocin, the psychoactive compounds found in nearly all species of Psilocybe, have shown promise as a treatment for conditions including PTSD, depression, and for easing end-of-life care.

To utilize psilocybin as a therapeutic, scientists need an extensive roadmap of the compound’s underlying genetics and evolution, information that doesn’t exist. Our limited knowledge comes from research on just a fraction of the ~165 known species of Psilocybe. Most psilocybin-producing mushrooms haven’t been studied since they were first discovered—until now.

A team of researchers led by the University of Utah and the Natural History Museum of Utah (NHMU) has completed the largest genomic diversity study for the genus Psilocybe. Their genomic analysis of 52 Psilocybe specimens includes 39 species that have never been sequenced.

Bryn Dentinger, principal investigator. Credit: B. Dentinger

The authors found that Psilocybe arose much earlier than previously thought—about 65 million years ago, right around when the dinosaur-killing asteroid caused a mass extinction event. They established that psilocybin was first synthesized in mushrooms in the genus Psilocybe, with four to five possible horizontal gene transfers to other mushrooms from 40 up to 9 million years ago.

Their analysis revealed two distinct gene orders within the gene cluster that produces psilocybin. The two gene patterns correspond to an ancient split in the genus, suggesting two independent acquisitions of psilocybin in its evolutionary history. The study is the first to reveal such a strong evolutionary pattern within the gene sequences underpinning the psychoactive proteins synthesis.

“If psilocybin does turn out to be this kind of wonder drug, there’s going to be a need to develop therapeutics to improve its efficacy. What if it already exists in nature?” said Bryn Dentinger, curator of mycology at NHMU and senior author of the study. “There’s a wealth of diversity of these compounds out there. To understand where they are and how they’re made, we need to do this kind of molecular work to use biodiversity to our advantage.”

Read the full article by Lisa Potter in @TheU.