Can eating mushrooms relieve depression? Science debunks rumors of the week

Eating mushrooms daily may reduce depression and anxiety

Do you love mushrooms? A recent study found that eating mushrooms on a regular basis may be associated with a lower risk of depression.

This conclusion comes from one of the first large-scale studies to examine mushroom consumption and depression. Researchers looked at the eating habits and mental health of more than 24,000 people and found that eating mushrooms may be associated with reduced depression and anxiety. It's important to note that if you already eat mushrooms on a daily basis, eating more doesn't seem to be more effective.

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This may be related to an antioxidant found in mushrooms, ergothioneine. Ergothioneine is an antioxidant that the human body cannot synthesize naturally and can only be obtained through diet. It can cross the blood-brain barrier, which scientists speculate is why it can affect the brain, and it also benefits intestinal health and reduces the risk of oxidative stress. Mushrooms are the highest dietary source of the amino acid ergothioneine.

Further experimental investigation is needed on the relationship between mushrooms and depression.

Source: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S016503272100759X

Reviewer: Fan Chunlei, Associate Researcher, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

The ancient creature "four-legged snake" turned out to be a lizard?

There is another stir in the world of paleontology.

The discovery of the four-legged snake Tetrapodophis amplectus in 2015 has long been considered a wonder of paleontology. A 110-million-year-old fossil with a serpentine skeleton and a snake-like body with four small legs, scientists thought it marked the first time we had found a missing link between snakes and lizards.

The skeleton of a four-legged snake and the traces it left on the stone. | ​​Tuchong Creative

But in early 2021, another team of persistent paleontologists revealed the truth: this was not a snake at all, but an extinct marine lizard called Dolicosaurus!

But this cannot be blamed on paleontologists, because they can only rely on broken bones, weathered footprints, and marks on rocks to piece together ancient creatures. It is difficult for us to understand the details of the lives of complex, living, breathing animals. Moreover, discovering more powerful new evidence to overturn old hypotheses has always been the way of scientific progress.

Researchers are still debating the exact nature of this creature, but whatever it was, it's incredibly well preserved and has something to teach us.

source:

https://www.sciencealert.com/five-times-we-got-a-fossil-amazingly-wrong

Reviewer: Huang Chengming, Researcher, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Mercury's greatest eastern elongation, don't miss it

Normally, it is difficult for us to see Mercury in the sky, because it is almost always "close" to the sun, hidden in the sun's brilliance. But on January 7, we finally waited for Mercury's greatest eastern elongation, and harvested the long-awaited new year's new atmosphere.

Author | Jiang Fan

Editor | Ding Zong

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