Magic mushrooms, long considered sacred by the Indigenous Mazatec in Mexico, become the subject of scientific studies measuring the intense effects of its Psilocybin and its potential therapeutic use.
In the second episode, we are introduced to Ben, who’s battled with crippling Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) his entire life. When he had his firstborn, Ben’s life became full of panic attacks regarding his son’s safety, and he knew something had to change. Ben signed up for a psilocybin-assisted therapy clinical trial which was testing whether the psychedelic could help people with severe OCD. In the session under the influence of psilocybin, Ben felt decomposed and eventually grew into a tree. While living as a tree, he saw his human self, playing with his child. Though this sounds scary, from Ben’s perspective, it was beautiful. He was one with the universe, seeing himself in the ultimate third-person perspective. Finally, he saw how it could be different if he didn’t let his OCD control him. And several months out, all the symptoms disappeared.
Ben’s story is one of many told in this series, which gives hope that help is right around the corner for the millions who suffer —often in silence— with debilitating mental disorders. But Michael Pollan’s work is showcasing the success stories. Often, even in the most successful trials, psychedelic-assisted therapy only helps up to a third of people enter remission. More frequently, patients are helped —sometimes substantially— but they still suffer with their illnesses and some people aren’t helped at all.

Chris turns to longevity doctor Peter Attia to find out how changing his eating habits can help his quest for longevity. Ironically, the answer is to eat no food at all for four long days. If he can bear the hunger, fasting will unlock his body’s own anti-aging powers and give Chris the edge he needs when he tries to hunt for his next meal … by spearfishing off the Great Barrier Reef.

This featured documentary delves into the tangled web of politics, show business, and organized crime in post-World War II America. It traces the unlikely connections between President John F. Kennedy, iconic singer Frank Sinatra, and notorious mobsters, revealing a saga of mutual assistance amidst corruption and betrayal. The film highlights the complex interplay of fame, money, and power, illustrating how these forces helped these figures rise to prominence in a chaotic and corrupt American landscape, ultimately leading to personal and political tragedies.
The documentary paints a vivid picture of Kennedy and Sinatra's ascent, influenced by their ties with the mafia. Kennedy, groomed for power from birth, and Sinatra, rising from humble beginnings, both relied on mafia connections for their successes. As Kennedy's political career and Sinatra's entertainment stature grew, so did their dependence on the underworld. The film culminates in the portrayal of Sinatra's deep involvement in Kennedy's 1960 presidential campaign and the subsequent betrayal of the mafia by the Kennedy administration, suggesting that this complex network of relationships may have played a role in Kennedy's assassination. This provocative tale is a stark reminder of the dark intersection of fame, power, and crime.

Stars helped create us, building and spreading the ingredients for life to develop. But there will definitely be a point in the future when, in the future when, you look up, you will no longer be able to see stars.
For billions of years, stars brought life to the universe. Now, they're dying out in a star apocalypse. What's causing the die-off, and what happens to life when the lights go out?

A hero is just someone who acts selflessly, out of concern for others, at personal risk and without the expectation of reward. In this episode, Michael Stevens asks employees to help him run a seemingly dangerous experiment, to see if they would blow the whistle to stop him.

Our relationship with destruction is not a simple one. It can release endorphins and relax our minds. It can amp us up and make us even more aggressive. It can even help us regulate our emotional reactions. Can violently breaking things calm us down? Or does it simply anger us more? Find out as Michael Stevens takes a look into our urge to destroy.