Lanmaoa asiatica is a popular edible mushroom species sold in Yunnan that induces Lilliputian hallucinations when undercooked. Locals call it Jian shou quing, which translates to “turns blue in the hand” to reference its rapidly changing colors when touched. Credit: Colin Domanauer/NHMU People in communities thousands of miles apart have described the same strange experience after eating a mysterious mushroom: vivid visions of tiny humans moving through and interacting with the physical world around them. Known as Lilliputian hallucinations—a reference to the 6-inch-tall inhabitants of "Gulliver's Travels"—the phenomenon has long been thought to stem from cultural influences rather than biology. A new study suggests otherwise. Using DNA sequencing, University of Utah (U) researchers confirmed that a single mushroom species, Lanmaoa asiatica, is responsible for these hallucinations in Southwest China and the northern Philippines.…