The Last Trip

Fresh in the wake of the death of the father of techno, Tristram Cary, Albert Hofmann, the Swiss chemist who discovered the now-banned hallucinogenic drug LSD that was an icon of psychedelic '60s, has died at the age of 102.

In 1938 while working on ergot, a fungus that attacks grain, Hofmann isolated the German-named "Lysergsaeure-Diaethylamid," or lysergic acid diethylamide.

Five years later, working in his lab, Hofmann spilled some synthesised LSD on his hand.

The effects were immediate: suffering from dizziness, the scientist cycled home and pedalled into his first "trip".

Hofmann later said that a wave of happiness swept over him as he recalled sensations from his childhood. He also began to hallucinate and he felt able to fly.

Put these two guys together. What a party.

TRIP Albert Hofmann

Young Rats Turned into Dope Heads

A Scottish scientist in Sydney have determined that young rats are more severely impacted by THC, the addictive component of marijuana, than older (and presumably wiser) rats. Younger rats were more likely to crave the drug and suffered severe memory loss.

Parallels with humans me thinks.