Harry Situation

Fungus Among Us : From Caveman Cures to Cosmic Trips


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Episode 3 – Fungus Among Us
From Ötzi the Iceman’s 5,000-year-old mushroom pouch to futuristic fungal tech aboard the International Space Station, this episode of Harry Situation dives into the weird, wild world of mushrooms. Why do some people hate them? What makes them magical? And how are they shaping the future of medicine, space travel, and mental health?

Host Harry Rogue unpacks the science, the stigma, and the spongy truth behind fungi. With peer-reviewed facts, a bit of humor, and zero mycologist credentials.

Spoiler: mushrooms are way more than pizza toppings.


References

BBC Earth. (2024). Fungi for the future. https://www.bbcearth.com/news/fungi-for-the-future

Business Insider. (2025). Space nutritionist: Mushrooms as superfood in space. https://www.businessinsider.com/space-nutritionist-mushrooms-superfood-nasa-study-spacex-mars-travel-2025-3

FactRetriever. (2023). 50 fascinating mushroom facts. https://www.factretriever.com/mushroom-facts

USU Extension. (n.d.). Why some people dislike mushrooms. https://extension.usu.edu/createbetterhealth/blog/mushroomshttps://www.factretriever.com/mushroom-facts

FoodPrint. (n.d.). Mushrooms. https://foodprint.org/real-food/mushrooms/

GlowHub. (2024). 11 of the wildest mushroom facts you'll ever hear. https://glowhub.com/blogs/news/11-of-the-wildest-mushroom-facts-you-ll-ever-hear

Justice.gov. (2003). Psilocybin. National Drug Intelligence Center. https://www.justice.gov/archive/ndic/pubs6/6038/index.htm

JRE #2347. (2024). The Joe Rogan Experience [Podcast episode]. Spotify. https://open.spotify.com/episode/075arN1YTBWleB5cub5KVT

National Forests. (n.d.). Fun facts about mushrooms. https://www.nationalforests.org/blog/fun-facts-about-mushrooms

Nature. (2020). Nutritional and medicinal value of mushrooms. Scientific Reports, 10, Article 59282. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-59282-y

NPR. (2024). Drug busts of 'magic mushrooms' went way up in recent years. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2024/02/06/1229298615/psilocybin-magic-mushrooms-drug-bust

NorthSpore. (2024). How fungi can support life in space. https://northspore.com/blogs/the-black-trumpet/how-fungi-can-support-life-in-space

OneEarth. (2024). The future is fungi. https://www.oneearth.org/the-future-is-fungi/

RAND Corporation. (2024). Magic mushrooms and policy: Latest research on psychedelics. https://www.rand.org/news/press/2024/06/27.html

Scientific American. (2024). Restrictions on psilocybin are easing as research ramps up. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/restrictions-on-psilocybin-magic-mushrooms-are-easing-as-research-ramps-up

Sciencedirect. (2018). Edible mushrooms: Improving health and disease resistance. Industrial Crops and Products, 122, 574–581. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0924224418302103

Swinburne University. (2024). Swinburne-led fungi experiment blasts off to the ISS. https://www.swinburne.edu.au/news/2024/08/swinburne-led-fungi-experiment-blasts-off-to-the-international-space-station

UC San Diego Today. (2024). Unregulated sales of a toxic and hallucinogenic mushroom endanger public health. https://today.ucsd.edu/story/unregulated-sales-of-a-toxic-and-hallucinogenic-mushroom-endanger-public-health

Wikipedia. (2025). Medicinal uses of fungi. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicinal_uses_of_fungi

New York Times. (1998). Lessons in Iceman’s Prehistoric Medicine Kit. https://www.nytimes.com/1998/12/08/science/lessons-in-iceman-s-prehistoric-medicine-kit.html

Seacoast Online. (2009). Iceman’s mushrooms key in understanding ancient medicine. https://www.seacoastonline.com/story/lifestyle/2009/02/11/iceman-s-mushrooms-key-in/52100922007/

StoneAgeMan. (n.d.). Hoof Fungus and the Iceman. https://stoneageman.com/hoof-fungus/


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Harry SituationBy Harry Rogue