596: The Awakening of Human Consciousness | Forbidden Fungus (STRIPPED)

Something extraordinary happened to the human brain 100,000 years ago. In just a few thousand generations, our brains nearly doubled in size - a change that should have taken millions of years.

Scientists couldn't explain it until Terence McKenna proposed a radical theory. He believed early humans transformed into conscious beings not through fire or tools, but through eating a forbidden fungus growing in animal dung across Africa.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeF3n-1sPJY

The Why Files covers mysteries, myths and legends. We tell stories and seek the truth in a fun and lighthearted way. Our content is heavily researched; we don't release an episode unless we're sure we can bring something new to a topic.

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• Latest episode: 2025-06-24
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