Magic mushrooms, or specifically psilocybin, the active compound contained within these fungi, has gained a lot of attention since the mid-20th Century as a promising treatment for all sorts of conditions, from addiction to depression and anxiety. Hell, it even appears to be useful for providing relief for the existential fear of cancer patients . The rest of this article is behind a paywall. Please sign in or subscribe to access the full content.

Given its versatile ability to help with these problems (research is, of course, ongoing), and the hallucinogenic properties of psilocybin, it's no wonder they've earned the nickname "magic mushrooms". But it may have crossed your mind at some point: what is in it for the mushrooms themselves? In short, why did these mushrooms evolve to be psy

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