John Hamilton

Many psychedelics come from natural sources, like mushrooms, medicinal plants, or the skin of a Sonoran desert toad.

But a team in Israel thought there must be an easier way to obtain large quantities of mind-bending compounds, including psilocybin and DMT.

So, they studied how living organisms make these substances.

Then, they genetically altered a tobacco plant to give it the same ability.

The result?

A tobacco plant capable of simultaneously producing five different psychedelics.

These products aren't intended for recreational use, though.

The goal is a better source of psychedelics for experimental treatments of psychiatric conditions, including depression, anxiety, and PTSD.

John Hamilton, NPR News.

Many psychedelics come from natural sources, like mushrooms, medicinal plants, or the skin of a Sonoran desert toad.

But a team in Israel thought there must be an easier way to obtain large quantities of mind-bending compounds, including psilocybin and DMT.

So, they studied how living organisms make these substances.

Then, they genetically altered a tobacco plant to give it the same ability.

The result?

A tobacco plant capable of simultaneously producing five different psychedelics.

These products aren't intended for recreational use, though.

The goal is a better source of psychedelics for experimental treatments of psychiatric conditions, including depression, anxiety, and PTSD.

John Hamilton, NPR News.

The families carry very rare gene mutations that cause Alzheimer's to appear in middle age.

For nearly two decades, the National Institutes of Health has funded research on these families through a group called the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer's Network.