Sam Gandy

Article providing a deep dive on the bolete mushroom Lanmaoa asiatica, which has recently gone viral, due to to its apparent capacity to elicit lilliputian hallucinations on occasion following its consumption by different cultures in East Asia. chemical-collective.com/blog/2026/02/1…

Can psychedelics help mend broken and ailing brains? An article examining the evidence for the use of psychedelics to treat brain injury such as strokes, TBI and neurodegenerative diseases, which inflict a vast toll, and lack effective treatments. chemical-collective.com/blog/2026/02/0…

A new article for @Ecohustler where I attempt to answer the following question: Why is the reintroduction of a native keystone species (the beaver) not permitted in England, but millions of non-native birds (pheasants) can be released with impunity? ecohustler.com/nature/a-tale-…

@aNorthernGarden @BenGoldsmith @Ecohustler Life obviously continued following the loss of beavers from our landscapes, but this doesn't mean it didn't do so in an ecologically depleted and degraded state. Aquatic ecosystems here co-evolved with this creature, and they create richer wetland environments than humans can.

@SamwiseGandy @BenGoldsmith @Ecohustler So how have we managed in UK without beavers for 5 centuries? If there was a 'healthy population' of beavers, what would be the net benefit.

A tale of two species. Why is it so easy to release into the British countryside *tens of millions* of one species- non-native, often harmful pheasants; while it’s virtually impossible to release another- native, vital beavers? Very odd. ecohustler.com/nature/a-tale-… @Ecohustler

@aNorthernGarden @BenGoldsmith @Ecohustler It isn't gobbledegook, but pertains to various essential benefits provided directly & indirectly by nature, not hard to understand. Regarding beavers, this encompasses filtering water, recharging aquifers, flood & drought mitigation, habitat creation, carbon sequestration, etc.

@SamwiseGandy @BenGoldsmith @Ecohustler Eco system service provision! I love your gobbledegook. How do you beaver-proof trees easily.

@aNorthernGarden @BenGoldsmith @Ecohustler You either wrap the base of the trees in wire, or paint them with a latex-sand paint.

@aNorthernGarden @BenGoldsmith @Ecohustler Trees are easily beaver-proofed. The overall benefits of beavers in terms of ecosystem service provision they provide far exceeds the relatively meagre costs of their management. Other parts of Europe have managed this without civilisational collapse, why can't we?

@SamwiseGandy @BenGoldsmith @Ecohustler Can be mitigated in that people have to spend time and money breaking down dams to release floodgates from their property and also have timber on their property destroyed. Why do you think people should have to put up with that?

@aNorthernGarden @BenGoldsmith @Ecohustler Beavers and their impacts such as flooding can be managed and mitigated, as is already been done elsewhere such as Bavaria and Switzerland. It is possible to live alongside beavers, and the many ecological benefits they provide should also be considered. theguardian.com/environment/20…

@BenGoldsmith @Ecohustler Because beavers fell trees, those vital carbon capture machines and flood farmland that grows food for an expanding population and woodland too. Pheasants are food and also bring money into the rural economy, like the hotel near me that hosts people for pheasant shoots.

@aNorthernGarden @BenGoldsmith @Ecohustler Very few pheasants shot end up on anyone's dinner plate, shooting is a hugely wasteful practice. Beaver eco-engineering also sequesters carbon. There are alternative less ecologically destructive means of generating income from the countryside than pheasant shooting.

@seatradelaw @BenGoldsmith @Ecohustler Only a small amount of pheasants ever make it onto anyone's dinner plate. Shooting them is only "fun" to a certain small minority. Your classification of them being "perfectly legitimate" is a meaningless statement that ignores the ecological cost their presence incurs.

@BenGoldsmith @Ecohustler Pheasants are fun to shoot and good to eat when you've shot them. They're a perfectly legitimate addition to our wildlife. Too often wilderness campaigners are at bottom anti human pleasure (apart from admiring wildlife).

@SimonNewton5 @BenGoldsmith @Ecohustler This is detailed in the article, under the subheading 'The ecological footprint of pheasants'. Pheasants are opportunistic omnivores that impact animals and plants (exacerbated by the high densities they are released at), and they inflate predator numbers, among other impacts.

@BenGoldsmith @Ecohustler Why are pheasants harmful?

Early accounts from Papua New Guinea described people eating a wild mushroom and suddenly seeing tiny, lifelike figures moving around them, a rare “lilliputian” hallucination. Decades later, the same reports surfaced in Yunnan and the Philippines. All lead back to one species: Lanmaoa asiatica. And still, no known psychedelic compounds have been found. Researchers are now sequencing and analyzing this mushroom to understand what’s behind these consistent effects. A new molecule? A biological mechanism we haven’t seen before? Read more about it: attheu.utah.edu/science-techno…

my secret to staying young looking and beautiful 🍄 cdnsciencepub.com/doi/full/10.11…

@bil4321 @NeilForPoole What is reference point for making this statement? How are you measuring “bountiful”? The overwhelming weight of scientific evidence refutes your assertion. nhm.ac.uk/discover/news/…

@NeilForPoole I call bollox. Everywhere I look nature is bountiful.

Ancient woodlands aren’t a blocker. Wildlife isn’t a hindrance. Chalk streams aren’t anti-growth. Our wildlife is on the brink - one in six species faces extinction. These species help define who we are as a nation - we won’t get a second chance to save them.

Have you had an out-of-body experience (OBE) where you encountered an entity? This international research collaboration seeks to shed light on a particularly little understood aspect of an already under-researched human experience. virginiahsd.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_em…

On the evening of Monday 24th I'll be in Bristol talking on the topic of “Psychedelics & Innovation: Altered States for Scientific Creativity & Shaping the Future”. More information in the link below, there will be ample time for discussion post talk. dandelion.events/e/n8usv

On the evening of 18th November in Taunton, in association with @SeedTalks, I will be giving a talk on the science of psychedelics, in which I aim to provide an accessible, engaging and up to date overview of the research on psychedelics 🍄🌵🧠🌈🧬✨ eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-science-…

Article on the dimming of firefly and glow worm light across Europe, also shedding light on efforts underway to keep their light alive. Let’s not let the light of fireflies die out, or else we are destined to dwell in a forever dimmer world ✨ theguardian.com/environment/20…

Encouraging to see this recent UK Gov's Natural England commissioned report on the importance of nature connection, and also that it mentions our research @SamwiseGandy on the enhanced wellbeing & connection to nature derived from psychedelic experiences publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/57…