The Las Vegas magic hall is known for hosting some of the most mind-boggling and astonishing spectacles performed by magicians and sorcerers. This renowned venue has been a hub for the world's greatest illusionists, making it a must-visit destination for magic enthusiasts. The main idea of the **Las Vegas magic hall** is to showcase the incredible skills and talents of magicians and sorcerers in an entertaining and visually captivating manner. The magic shows that take place in Las Vegas are not just your typical card tricks and disappearing acts; they are elaborate productions that transport the audience into a world of wonder and fascination. The magic hall offers a variety of shows, each highlighting the unique style and specialty of the performers. From mind-reading to grand illusions, the audience is treated to an array of breathtaking performances that keep them on the edge of their seats throughout the show.

Psychoactive psilocybin’s evolution in ‘magic mushrooms’

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

PHOTO CREDIT: Bryn Dentinger

Bryn Dentinger holding a collection of Psilocybe caerulescens, was found performing fieldwork in Jalisco, Mexico.

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.

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 protein 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.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Bryn Dentinger

Alexander Bradshaw holds a specimen of Psilocybe zapotecorum collected while hunting for mushrooms near Talpa de Allende, Jalisco, Mexico.

All of the study’s Psilocybe DNA came from specimens in museum collections around the world. Twenty-three of the 52 specimens were “type specimens,” the gold standard designating a species against which all other samples are measured. For example, say you identify a wild mushroom as a certain species of chanterelle—you’re betting that the mushroom you picked is the same as the physical material sitting in a box in a museum. The authors’ molecular work on type species is a major contribution to mycology because it establishes an authoritative foundation for all future work on Psilocybe diversity in taxonomy.

“These type specimens represent hundreds of years of thousands of scientists’ collective effort to document diversity, way before people were thinking about DNA,” said Alexander Bradshaw, a postdoctoral researcher at the U and lead author of the study. “That’s the beauty of it—no one has really sequenced type specimens at this scale, and now we get to produce molecular and genomic data to the gold standard of Psilocybe types for people to compare against.”

The study was published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Jan. 9, 2024.

A trip through time

Previous studies identified the cluster of four core genes that produce psilocybin based on genomic analysis of three Psilocybe species. The species were closely related to each other, and all had matching gene patterns within the psilocybin-producing gene clusters. This study’s expanded genomics of 52 specimens of Psilocybe revealed a second distinct pattern.

PHOTO CREDIT: Bryn Dentinger

A simplified evolutionary tree for the genus Psilocybe. Clade I and Clade II represent the Psilocybe species with the same gene order patterns within their psilocybin-producing gene clusters.

“This work represents a big step in the understanding of the evolutionary relationships in Psilocybe because it is the first to include a broad species sampling and is based on type specimens,” said Virginia Ramírez-Cruz, a mycologist at the Universidad de Guadalajara and co-lead author of the study.

The authors found that 17 specimens had the original order, while 35 exhibited the new pattern.

“We’ve shown here that there’s been a lot of change in gene order over time, and that provides some new tools for biotechnology. If you’re looking for a way to express the genes to produce psilocybin and related compounds, you no longer have to rely on only one set of gene sequences to do that. Now there’s tremendous diversity that scientists can look at for lots of different properties or efficiencies,” said Dentinger, who is also an associate professor of biology at the University of Utah.

Dating of the group showed that an ancient split of the two gene cluster patterns occurred around 57 million years ago, which also corresponded to a shift in the ecology. The first psilocybin-producing mushrooms likely arose as a wood-decomposing group, then transitioned to the soil after the split, with some species such as Psilocybe cubensis transiting to growing on herbivore dung. The ecological shift to dung appears to have occurred at least twice independently in their evolutionary history.

What does psilocybin do for mushrooms?

The authors hoped that psilocybin’s evolutionary history would clarify the most basic question—what does psilocybin do for mushrooms? The psilocybin-producing gene clusters likely have some benefit, but no one knows what it is.

The molecular structure of psilocybin mimics serotonin and binds tightly to serotonin receptors, especially at 5-HT_2A, a famous receptor onto which many psychedelic drugs bind. When a chemical binds to these receptors in mammals and similar ones in insects and arachnids, they produce unnatural and altered behaviors. Some have proposed that this altered mental state might be a direct deterrent to predation. It’s also possible that psilocybin functions as a laxative or induces vomiting to spread spores before they are fully digested. However, psilocybin mushrooms often occur infrequently in the wild, making it unlikely that animals could learn to recognize them. An alternative theory is that psilocybin is a chemical defense against insects. However, empirical studies are lacking, and the authors’ observations confirm that psilocybin-containing mushrooms regularly host healthy, thriving insect larvae.

PHOTO CREDIT: Eliza Peterson/NHMU

Holotype specimen of Psilocybe subtropicalis.

The authors are preparing experiments to test an alternative theory that they call the Gastropod Hypothesis. The timing and divergence dates of Psilocybe coincide with the KPg boundary, the geological marker of the asteroid that threw Earth into a brutal, prolonged winter and killed 80% of all life. Two lifeforms that thrived during the darkness and decay were fungi and terrestrial gastropods. Evidence, including the fossil record, shows that gastropods had a massive diversification and proliferation just after the asteroid hit, and it’s known that terrestrial slugs are heavy predators of mushrooms. With the study’s molecular dating of Psilocybe to around 65 million years ago, it’s possible that psilocybin evolved as a slug deterrent. They hope that their feeding experiments will shed some light on their hypothesis.

In 2020, the authors set a goal to get a genome sequence for every Psilocybe type specimen. To date, they’ve generated genomes of 71 type specimens and continue to collaborate with collections around the world.

“It’s impossible to overstate the importance of collections for doing studies like this. We are standing on the shoulders of giants, who spent thousands of people-power hours to create these collections, so that I can write an email and request access to rare specimens, many of which have only ever been collected once, and may never be collected again,” said Bradshaw.

Other authors who contributed to the study include Ali Awan of Guy’s and St. Thomas’ NHS Trust, Giuliana Furci of the Fungi Foundation, and Laura Guzmán-Dávalos of the Universidad de Guadalajara. The research was funded by the National Science Foundation (DEB #2114785) and Fungi Perfecti LLC.

PHOTO CREDIT: Alexander Bradshaw

Institutions worldwide sent Psilocybe mushroom specimens in their collections to the U mycologist. Some had been collected and cataloged over 150 years ago. This figure lists specimens included in the study and new specimens being used for future studies as the authors continue to do genomic analysis on more Psilocybe species.

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Restrictions on Psilocybin ‘Magic Mushrooms’ Are Easing as Research Ramps Up

Magic mushrooms are undergoing a transformation from illicit recreational drug to promising mental health treatment. Numerous studies have reported positive findings using psilocybin—the mushrooms' main psychoactive compound—for treating depression as well as smoking and alcohol addiction, and for reducing anxiety in the terminally ill. Ongoing and planned studies are testing the drug for conditions that include opioid dependence, PTSD and anorexia nervosa.

This scientific interest, plus growing social acceptance, is contributing to legal changes in cities across the U.S. In 2020 Oregon passed statewide legislation decriminalizing magic mushrooms, and the state is building a framework for regulating legal therapeutic use—becoming the first jurisdiction in the world to do so. For now psilocybin remains illegal and strictly controlled at the national level in most countries, slowing research. But an international push to get the drug reclassified aims to lower barriers everywhere.

After a flurry of research in the 1950s and 1960s, psilocybin and all other psychedelics were abruptly banned, partly in response to their embrace by the counterculture. Following the 1971 United Nations Convention on Psychotropic Substances, psilocybin was classed in the U.S. as a Schedule I substance—defined as having “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” Psilocybin production was limited, and a host of administrative and financial burdens effectively ended study for decades. “It's the worst censorship of research in history,” says David Nutt, a neuropsychopharmacologist at Imperial College London.

Despite these legal hurdles, the current research resurgence has seen Nutt and others exploring how psilocybin changes the brain's connectivity patterns: reducing connections within the usual networks while increasing links between less connected regions. Just this year a study showed that treatment involving psilocybin led to sustained network alterations, which seemed to correlate with reduced depression symptoms. Two organizations are beginning final rounds of trials for psilocybin's use for depression, which could lead to the substance's first approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

As news of psilocybin's promise spreads, several U.S. cities have passed measures decriminalizing magic mushrooms. This is not the same as legalization; the molecule and the mushrooms themselves remain illegal, but prosecuting people for their possession or use is deprioritized or discouraged.

In 2019 Denver voters passed a ballot measure that prohibits using city money to prosecute people for magic mushroom–related offenses. City councils soon took similar steps in Oakland and Santa Cruz in California and in Ann Arbor, Mich. In November 2020 voters in Washington, D.C., passed a ballot measure making natural psychedelics one of law enforcement's lowest priorities. Cities and counties in Michigan, Massachusetts, California and Washington State have followed suit.

As part of Oregon's legislation, the state health authority created a scientific advisory board to recommend regulations for psilocybin service centers, such as designating mushroom species and preparations to use and production standards to follow. These centers, which can apply for licenses starting next January, will not claim to treat depression but will aim to improve general well-being.

“My worry is that people won't necessarily get that distinction . and turn up with horrible, treatment-resistant depression, expecting an expert in treating that condition,” says Johns Hopkins University psychiatrist Natalie Gukasyan, who led a recent psilocybin trial.

Oregon's advisory board is determining how best to train facilitators and screen clients for risk factors, such as a family history of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. “All our decisions revolve around consumer safety,” says Oregon State University mycologist Jessie Uehling, who chairs the board's product subcommittee. “We want to know that we're avoiding all the potential risks and creating the safest environment for people.” The centers will focus on fungi and natural preparations rather than the synthetic psilocybin used in clinical trials so far, Gukasyan notes.

Regardless of local decriminalization, U.S. researchers must still abide by federal Schedule I regulations. The International Therapeutic Psilocybin Rescheduling Initiative, a coalition of research and advocacy organizations, aims to get the World Health Organization to conduct a review of the relevant evidence for reclassifying the drug. “It's inconceivable the WHO could now say psilocybin doesn't have medical value. It can work where other drugs have not,” Nutt says.

Various laws already facilitate research and treatment in some countries. Canada classifies magic mushrooms as Schedule III, so penalties are lower, and certain research and trials are granted exceptions. A Canadian charity called TheraPsil has a fast-track process for end-of-life psilocybin therapy.

Some countries such as Jamaica never made magic mushrooms illegal, although the psilocybin molecule often is. Research is limited in most of these places, but many have thriving “psychedelic retreat” industries that are not medically regulated. The Netherlands has specifically banned the mushrooms—but its laws don't mention the psilocybin-containing lumps of underground material that eventually sprout them, better known as truffles. This loophole has paved the way for numerous therapeutic retreats, but little organized research.

Portugal has famously decriminalized all drugs. Some countries ban the mushrooms but not their spores, because the latter do not contain psilocybin. Others simply do not enforce their laws on magic mushrooms.

The 1971 U.N. treaty has a clause allowing countries to exempt traditional Indigenous uses of psychedelic plants. Indigenous people in some South American countries have used psychedelics for centuries and have fought governments for their right to engage in related ceremonies. There is even a religious organization in New Mexico, the Oratory of Mystical Sacraments, that claims members can legally use magic mushrooms in certain circumstances.

“This idea that psilocybin is helpful for mental health conditions is not a new one. There are thousands of years of history of efficacious treatment; it's just in a different knowledge format,” Uehling says. “We're trying hard here in Oregon to honor that knowledge system.”

Public perceptions of psilocybin are changing, and as increasing interest generates more evidence, this trend looks set to accelerate. “It's a thrilling time to be a mycologist,” Uehling says. Many are waiting to see what happens in Oregon, she adds: “Other states will come up with variations on—hopefully—what we get right, and also on what needs to be changed.”

Simon Makin is a freelance science journalist based in the U.K. His work has appeared in New Scientist, the Economist, Scientific American and Nature, among others. He covers the life sciences and specializes in neuroscience, psychology and mental health. Follow Makin on Twitter @SimonMakin

This article was originally published with the title “ Mushrooms' Legal Trip ” in Scientific American Magazine Vol. 327 No. 2 ( August 2022 ) , p. 12
doi: 10.1038/scientificamerican0822-12

From mind-reading to grand illusions, the audience is treated to an array of breathtaking performances that keep them on the edge of their seats throughout the show. One of the key attractions of the Las Vegas magic hall is the caliber of talent that graces its stage. Internationally renowned magicians and sorcerers from around the world gather here to showcase their extraordinary skills.

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Clinical potential of psilocybin as a treatment for mental health conditions

1 Assistant Professor, South Dakota State University College of Pharmacy, Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Psychiatric Clinical Pharmacist, Avera Behavioral Health Center, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, [email protected]

Margaret Haberman

2 Psychiatric Clinical Pharmacist, Avera Behavioral Health Center, Sioux Falls, South Dakota

1 Assistant Professor, South Dakota State University College of Pharmacy, Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Psychiatric Clinical Pharmacist, Avera Behavioral Health Center, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, [email protected]

Disclosures: Dr Daniel and Dr Haberman have no disclosures or conflicts of interest relative to the publication of this manuscript.

These performers have honed their craft for years, dedicating countless hours to perfecting their acts and creating unforgettable moments for the audience. The magic shows at the Las Vegas magic hall are not just a series of tricks; they are carefully curated performances that combine storytelling, music, and visual effects to create a truly immersive experience. The stage is set with stunning sets, and the performers use cutting-edge technology to create illusions that seem impossible to the naked eye. The Las Vegas magic hall is an ideal destination for both casual spectators and die-hard fans of magic. Whether you are a skeptic or a believer, these shows will leave you in awe and questioning what you thought was possible. From disappearing acts to levitations, the magic performed in Las Vegas pushes the boundaries of what we perceive as reality. In conclusion, the Las Vegas magic hall is a captivating destination for anyone interested in witnessing the extraordinary talents of magicians and sorcerers. With its immersive performances and world-class performers, it promises to be an unforgettable experience that will leave you amazed and mesmerized..

Reviews for "Step Into a World of Fantasy: Explore Las Vegas' Magic Hall"

1. Sarah - 1/5

I was really disappointed with the Magicians and Sorcerers Spectacle at Las Vegas Magic Hall. The tricks were outdated and predictable, and the performers lacked any sort of charisma or stage presence. The whole show felt like a cheap imitation of what a magic show should be. I have seen much better performances in smaller venues with more talented magicians. Save your money and skip this one.

2. David - 2/5

I had high expectations for the Magicians and Sorcerers Spectacle at Las Vegas Magic Hall, but unfortunately, it fell flat for me. The tricks were decent, but nothing groundbreaking or awe-inspiring. The pacing of the show felt off, with long gaps between acts that killed the momentum. Additionally, the performers seemed tired and unenthusiastic, which made it difficult to really get into the show. Overall, it was an average experience at best, and I wouldn't recommend it to others looking for a thrilling magic performance.

3. Jessica - 1/5

The Magicians and Sorcerers Spectacle at Las Vegas Magic Hall was a complete waste of time and money. The tricks were amateurish and poorly executed, and it was obvious that the performers lacked mastery over their craft. The show felt disjointed and lacked a coherent storyline or theme, making it difficult to stay engaged. The production value was also lacking, with outdated props and cheesy music choices. I would strongly advise against attending this show if you're looking for quality entertainment.

4. Mark - 2/5

I was really hoping for an evening of mind-blowing magic and sorcery at the Magicians and Sorcerers Spectacle at Las Vegas Magic Hall, but sadly, it fell short of my expectations. While some of the tricks were impressive, many of them were cliché and unoriginal. The performers seemed to rely heavily on flashy costumes and props rather than showcasing their actual skills. The lack of innovation and originality was disappointing, and I left the show feeling underwhelmed. If you're a true magic enthusiast, I would suggest looking for a different show that offers a more authentic and captivating experience.

Magic, Mystery, and Mayhem: Exploring Las Vegas' Magic Hall