From grassroots community gatherings in Pennsylvania woods to academic conferences in Portuguese castles, the summer 2026 mushroom festival season spans continents and disciplines. Each event is rooted in the same underlying science: fungi season is triggered by seasonal rains and shifting temperatures, prompting the fruiting bodies of vast underground mycelial networks to emerge worldwide. With scientists estimating as many as five million fungal species on Earth, only a fra

A comprehensive review published in Precision Nutrition catalogues antileukemic activity across 53 mushroom species, spanning compounds that trigger cancer cell death, halt cell division, and stimulate immune responses against leukaemia cells. The mechanisms identified include apoptosis induction, cell cycle arrest, and modulation of key signalling pathways, with effects demonstrated primarily in laboratory and animal models. Clinical evidence remains sparse and preliminary,

Article produced in partnership with Applied Food Sciences, a leading functional ingredient manufacturer. Lion's Mane (Hericium erinaceus) has become one of the leading ingredients in cognitive health, yet independent human trials show its effects are inconsistent, a gap rooted in how little the species name on a label reveals about a product's actual composition. Applied Food Sciences has published a validated UHPLC-UV method that measures the mushroom's key marker compounds

A single dose of psilocybin reduced nerve pain in mice for several weeks and made the common painkiller gabapentin significantly more effective, according to new research from the University of Reading.

Researchers have confirmed the enzyme caffeylpyruvate hydrolase (CPH) completes the recycling loop in the fungal bioluminescence pathway, sustaining continuous light emission in fungi. The enzyme breaks down oxyluciferin into caffeic and pyruvic acids, allowing the fungus to recycle light-producing molecules while potentially recovering some of the energy used in the process. The findings, published in The FEBS Journal, could enable the design of brighter, more efficient self