Mushrooms Caught Copying Psychedelic Homework

The scientific community is reportedly reeling after a groundbreaking study revealed that several species of fungi, long celebrated for their unique psychoactive properties, didn't actually invent the wheel, or rather, the psilocybin trip. Apparently, these seemingly innovative organisms independently ‘figured out’ the same mind-bending chemical process, a phenomenon scientists euphemistically call convergent evolution. One can almost hear the collective sigh of disappointment from enthusiasts who believed their fungal guides possessed truly original genius.

This revelation, suggesting mushrooms are less artistic innovators and more like students who all copied the same genius idea from a dimly lit, primordial textbook, casts a pall over the notion of biological originality. One imagines ancient fungal ancestors, hunched over their metabolic pathways, whispering "Just make it psychedelic, everyone else is doing it." It’s enough to make one question whether even the most profound experiences, perhaps those explored in traditional ceremonies, are merely the result of a surprisingly common, molecular party trick. What's next? Finding out plants all "learned" photosynthesis from a single, widely circulated cheat sheet? The natural world, it seems, is far less original than we've been led to believe.