By RON WINSLOW
July 11, 2006; Page B1

In a study that could revive interest in researching the effects of psychedelic drugs, scientists said a substance in certain mushrooms induced powerful, mind-altering experiences among a group of well-educated, middle-age men and women.

Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions researchers conducted the study following carefully controlled, scientifically rigorous procedures. They said that the episodes generally led to positive changes in attitude and behavior among the 36 volunteer participants and that the changes appeared to last at least two months. Participants cited feelings of intense joy, “distance from ordinary reality,” and feelings of peace and harmony after taking the drug. Two-thirds described the effects of the drug, called psilocybin, as among the five most meaningful experiences of their lives.

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There’s been a lot of talk lately about the promise of biofuels (such as ethanol and bio-diesel made from plants) to reduce our dependence on oil. However, to produce enough corn-based ethanol to meet current U.S. demand for gasoline, we would need to nearly double the land used for harvested crops, plant all of it in corn, and not eat any of it.

Fuel from plants? Sounds pretty good. But before you rush out to buy an E-85 pickup, consider:

The United States annually consumes more fossil and nuclear energy than all the energy produced in a year by the country’s plant life, including forests and plants used for food and fiber, according to figures from the U.S. Department of Energy and Cornell University researcher David Pimentel.

To produce enough corn-based ethanol to meet current U.S. demand for automotive gasoline, we would need to nearly double the land used for harvested crops, plant all of it in corn, and not eat any of it. Even a greener fuel source (such as the switchgrass Bush mentioned, which requires fewer petroleum-based fertilizers and ingredients than corn and reduces topsoil losses by growing back each year) could provide only a small fraction of the energy we demand.

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