Journalist @matthabusby.bsky.social embedded with combat sports fighters for a first-of-its-kind study. Supported by the Ferriss–UC Berkeley Psychedelic Journalism Fellowship. Full story in Men's Health ⬇️ 📸: Edinson Arroyo https://www.menshealth.com/health/a73195268/psychedelic-ayahusaca-mma-tbi/

We're really excited for this event with @michaelpollan.bsky.social on October 13th. Tickets go on sale August 11th to the general public - mark your calendars! https://calperformances.org/events/2026-27/speakers/michael-pollan-christof-koch-a-journey-into-consciousness/

Michael Pollan & Christof Koch: A Journey into Consciousness | Cal Performances

Author Michael Pollan returns for a discussion on the most intriguing questions at the intersection of psychedelics and consciousness.

calperformances.org

The psychedelic toad milkers: guest writer Kimon de Greef follows toad poachers across the Sonoran Desert. Read more on The Microdose: https://bit.ly/4wGootI

Animal models have shown that a single dose of psilocybin triggers rapid, lasting neuroplasticity. We are using advanced MRI to measure proxies of these changes in brain structure in older adults. Q&A with the researchers https://psychedelics.berkeley.edu/can-psilocybin-promote-successful-aging/

From “just say no” to just say nothing: Harm reduction educator Rhana Hashemi discusses her approach to drug education and what students want to know about psychedelics. Read the latest 5 Questions on The Microdose: https://bit.ly/4fXkc2F

From “just say no” to just say nothing: 5 Questions for harm reduction educator Rhana Hashemi

Hashemi discusses her approach to drug education and what students want to know about psychedelics.

bit.ly

Join us for States of Consciousness (Oct. 14-15, 2026), a conference at @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social exploring consciousness through the lens of psychedelics. Register by Aug. 6 to save with early bird pricing: https://psychedelics.berkeley.edu/soc-conference/

What a lost manuscript reveals about peyote in the 17th century. Philosopher Osiris Sinuhé González Romero discusses with The Microdose: https://bit.ly/4pxh2Wt

A lost peyote document from 1619: 5 Questions for philosopher Osiris Sinuhé González Romero

Romero discusses what a recently discovered manuscript reveals about peyote in the 17th century.

themicrodose.substack.com

What a lost manuscript reveals about peyote in the 17th century. The Microdose speaks with philosopher Osiris Sinuhé González Romero in this week's 5 Questions: https://bit.ly/4pxh2Wt

A lost peyote document from 1619: 5 Questions for philosopher Osiris Sinuhé González Romero

Romero discusses what a recently discovered manuscript reveals about peyote in the 17th century.

themicrodose.substack.com

Do people hear voices when they take ayahuasca? Social anthropologist David Dupuis discusses how auditory hallucinations during psychedelic trips have been overlooked with @shaylalove.bsky.social on The Microdose: https://bit.ly/4wJVKYo

Do people hear voices when they take ayahuasca? 5 Questions with social anthropologist David Dupuis

Dupuis discusses how auditory hallucinations during psychedelic trips have been overlooked.

bit.ly

Headlines in psychedelics this week: –Big changes ahead for Oregon’s psilocybin agency –New bill seeks to turn Trump’s psychedelics executive order into permanent law –Compass Pathways announces new Phase 3 results Read more on The Microdose: https://bit.ly/4aM2vjO

Big changes ahead for Oregon’s psilocybin agency, New bill seeks to turn Trump’s psychedelics executive order into permanent law

Plus: Compass Pathways announces new Phase 3 results, and Lawsuit against LSD company Definium is dismissed

bit.ly

🎥 The Mycoskie - UC Berkeley Psychedelic Documentary Fellowship is now accepting applications. 🗓️ Deadline: October 5, 2026 👉 Head to the link in our bio 🔗 or visit fellowships.journalism.berkeley.edu/mycoskie to submit your application.

The BCSP’s new research aims to determine if psilocybin can promote successful aging. BCSP Faculty Director Michael Silver and PhD candidate Tyler Toueg answer more questions about the study at https://psychedelics.berkeley.edu/can-psilocybin-promote-successful-aging/

Filmmaker April Fan discusses her feature documentary about wild mushroom foragers in Yunnan and what she discovered about place and belonging. Read the latest 5 Questions on The Microdose: https://bit.ly/4vgbxNc

Do psychedelics create false memories? Psychologist Samuli Kangaslampi discusses the need to study autobiographical memories that may emerge during trips. Read 5 Questions on The Microdose: https://bit.ly/4wf8Dt5

–Definium releases LSD for depression Phase 3 results –CO activists fight recent bill’s amendments to sharing psychedelics –Survey suggests most veterans support VA-funded psychedelic-assisted therapy The Microdose shares the latest news in psychedelics: https://bit.ly/4v03dB4

Definium releases LSD for depression Phase 3 results and Colorado activists fight recent bill’s amendments to sharing psychedelics

Plus: Survey suggests most veterans support VA-funded psychedelic-assisted therapy, and psychedelic research funding bills and a move towards psilocybin legalization in Canada

bit.ly

Headlines in psychedelics last week: –Is the boom in toad-derived 5-MeO-DMT built on a false history? –Colorado’s new law lays groundwork for ibogaine access –Personality traits may shape intensity of psychedelic sensory experiences Read more on The Microdose: https://bit.ly/4xEbnBK

37% U.S. voters say that psychedelics are safe to use…in a supervised setting. The latest UC Berkeley Psychedelics Survey tells us about the stigma and perceptions of safety surrounding psychedelics today. Read Tyrone’s 5 top takeaways: https://bit.ly/42NC6O8

In what cases do U.S.voters think psychedelics are most useful? And who do they think should have access? We share the answers to these questions in our latest @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social Survey. To find out more, visit https://bit.ly/42NC6O8

The Microdose takes a deep dive into the history of Psilocybe cubensis, arguably the most widely used psychedelic mushroom in the world, first collected and given a scientific Latin name in Cuba in 1906. Read the article: https://bit.ly/4viUECC

A case report testing psilocybin for advanced Alzheimer’s disease, plus an Amanita mushroom poisoning outbreak in California. This news and more on This Week in Psychedelics on The Microdose: https://bit.ly/43zSvGl

An Amanita mushroom poisoning outbreak in California; A case report testing psilocybin for advanced Alzheimer’s disease

Plus: Scientists assess risk of psychedelic-induced mania; and the close of this season’s psychedelic legislation push

themicrodose.substack.com

The research Michael Silver and his lab are doing at @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social not only has the potential to help us better understand the human mind and consciousness, but also to transform the treatment of certain mental illnesses. In this video, he explains in 101 seconds:

Can psychedelics protect the aging brain? In a new study, researchers at @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social are exploring whether psilocybin, a compound known to influence brain plasticity, may offer a new avenue to promote healthy aging. Read more: https://bit.ly/4edFCqj

Tripping into Old Age: Can Psychedelics Protect the Aging Brain? - UC Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics

Can psychedelics help our minds and brains stay healthy as we grow older? That’s the question posed by a new first-of-its-kind study launched earlier this year at the UC Berkeley Center for the Scienc...

psychedelics.berkeley.edu

New @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social online summer course open to the public! EDUC 125: Psychedelics Education and the Persistent Taboo on Alternative Ways of Knowing (July 6 – Aug 14) examines how psychedelics are understood, taught and researched. 👉 Enroll now: https://bit.ly/4urm5ZE

2026 Summer EDUC 125 002 LEC 002 | UCB Class Search

bit.ly

The Microdose reports from the ground of the Interdisciplinary Conference on Psychedelic Research (ICPR), one of Europe's largest psychedelics conferences: https://bit.ly/4uNKjy1

Dispatch from The Netherlands

Reporting from the Interdisciplinary Conference on Psychedelic Research

bit.ly

In 2023, fewer than half of U.S. voters strongly supported making psychedelics easier for scientists to study. By 2025, that number had risen to 63%. Tyrone Sgambati breaks down the numbers. Learn more about the UC Berkeley Psychedelics Survey on psychedelics.berkeley.edu/survey 📈

Only one third say mental health professionals are “very trustworthy”, while other sources rank even lower. But is there room to build trust? UC Berkeley Psychedelics Survey research scientist Tyrone Sgambati discusses these findings. Learn more: https://bit.ly/42NC6O8

The Microdose speaks to author and mycophile Maria Pinto about retreats for the rich in Jamaica, her experiments with lesser-known psychedelic mushrooms, and the relationship between psychonauts and the broader mycological community. Read the latest 5 Questions: https://bit.ly/4nYfqEt

Who gets psychedelic access? 5 Questions with author and mycophile Maria Pinto

Pinto discusses high cost retreats in Jamaica, tensions between mycologists and psychonauts, and her experiences on a little-known hallucinogenic mushroom

bit.ly

This week, Veterans Affairs announced a new MDMA clinical trial. Plus, a small trial shows psilocybin’s antidepressant effects are both rapid and long-lasting. Get the latest news in psychedelics on The Microdose: https://bit.ly/4e02QQO

Veterans Affairs announces new MDMA clinical trial; Psilocybin’s antidepressant effects are both rapid and long-lasting

Plus: Psychedelic trips leave traces in speech through vocal “jitter” and “shimmer;" Scientists pair intravenous ketamine with drug targeting opioid receptors to enhance antidepressant effects

bit.ly

Join us tomorrow, May 27, as we unpack findings from our latest survey and explore what they mean for policy, research and public understanding. Register now: https://bit.ly/4c1RlHg #webinar #psychedelicsresearch

57%. That’s how many U.S. voters reported "proximity" to psychedelics—meaning they’ve either used them or know someone who has. Tyrone Sgambati, PhD breaks down one of the takeaways from our UC Berkeley Psychedelics Survey. Learn more: https://bit.ly/42NC6O8