Learn about why magic mushrooms evolved to be “magic” and new research into when children develop “theory of mind.”

Magic mushrooms evolved to scramble insect brains by Cameron Duke

• Hallucinogenic mushrooms drug profile. (2020). Europa.eu. https://www.emcdda.europa.eu/publications/drug-profiles/hallucinogenic-mushrooms_en
• Lee, N., & Benji Jones. (2021, April 27). How psychoactive psilocybin in magic mushrooms changes your brain. Business Insider; Business Insider. https://www.businessinsider.com/magic-mushrooms-psilocybin-psychoactive-drug-brain-denver-legal-2019-5
• Reynolds, H. T., Vijayakumar, V., Gluck-Thaler, E., Korotkin, H. B., Matheny, P. B., & Slot, J. C. (2018). Horizontal gene cluster transfer increased hallucinogenic mushroom diversity. Evolution Letters, 2(2), 88–101. https://doi.org/10.1002/evl3.42

The classic experiment testing children's theory of mind is flawed by Grant Currin

• Children do not understand concept of others having false beliefs until age 6 or 7. (2021, September 28). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/929684
• Fabricius, W. V., Gonzales, C. R., Pesch, A., Weimer, A. A., Pugliese, J., Carroll, K., Bolnick, R. R., Kupfer, A. S., Eisenberg, N., & Spinrad, T. L. (2021). Perceptual Access Reasoning (PAR) in Developing a Representational Theory of Mind. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 86(3), 7–154. https://doi.org/10.1111/mono.12432
• Cassella, C. (2021). We Might Be Wrong About How Children Understand The Minds of Others at a Young Age. ScienceAlert. https://www.sciencealert.com/new-evidence-suggests-children-may-not-have-theory-of-mind-until-age-6-or-7

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Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/magic-mushroom-evolution-and-when-kids-gain-theory-of-mind

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