Checking nets with Uncle Mac in 2019
RESEARCH OVERVIEW
I research human and environmental health, specifically how organisms come to contain and accumulate neurotoxins, and the ways their molecules interact with human neural function to produce altered mental states. I aim to examine the ecological context and mind-brain impacts of undescribed hallucinogenic compounds while developing a research process that interfaces and respects knowledge and scientific methods from local, indigenous and conventional scientific communities.
Together with local collaborators I study hallucinogens from the Weke Pueo and Salpa Sarpa fish and Sonoran Desert Toad. My approach integrates methods from molecular biology, natural products chemistry, neuroscience and anthropology to identify molecular mechanisms and corresponding mental experiences from these compounds.
My projects interface knowledge from local, indigenous and conventional academic sources. I am proud to be part Nā Kai 'Ewalu, a network of lawa'ia (fisher-steward) spearheaded by Uncle Mac Poepoe to study bioculturally important species across Hawai'i including Moi (Polydactylus Sexfilis).
As a researcher I am committed to the development of new modes of collaboration, engagement, and partnership with Indigenous Peoples for the care and stewardship of past and future data collections. Learn more about my research approach and commitments here.
PAPERS
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Poepoe,K., Springer, K., Luccioni, M., Goo, N., Connelly, A. et. al (2025). Co-creating intergenerational knowledge about Hawaiian moi (Polydactylus sexfilis) reproductive cycles in a changing climate. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. Under review.
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Luccioni, M.D., Wyman, J.T., Espinoza, E.O., O'Connell, L.A. (accepted). Diet and Chemical Defenses of the Sonoran Desert Toads. PLOS One.
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Luccioni, M.D., Wyman, J.T., (2022). Incilius Alvarius (Sonoran Desert Toad). Ingestion of Bullet Casing. Herpetological Review, 52, 4.
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Perez, R., Luccioni, M., Kamakaka, R., Clamons, S., Gaut, N., Stirling, F., ... & Endy, D. (2020). Enabling community-based metrology for wood-degrading fungi. Fungal biology and biotechnology, 7(1), 1-15.
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Luccioni, M.D., Ellington, C. T., Hayden, A. J., LaGrange, Z. B., Osman, M. A., Ramlan, L. I., ... & O'Connell, L. A. (2020). The plant terpenoid carvone is a chemotaxis repellent for C. elegans. microPublication biology, 2020.
RECIPROCAL RESEARCH TO INVESTIGATE MIND-BRAIN IMPACTS OF MARINE HALLUCINOGENS
Advisors: Kelson Poepoe and Larry Crowder
Committee: Tadashi Fukami, Rodolfo Dirzo, Justin DuBois, Tanya Luhrmann
Marine molecules are reported to cause hallucinations, but little is known about them.
I am researching (1) what those molecules are (2) where they come from, and (3) how they impact the human nervous system.
This project will examine the ecological context and mind-brain impacts of undescribed hallucinogenic compounds from fish, focusing on toxins from the weke pueo (Upeneus taeniopterus) from Hawai’i and la saupe (Sarpa salpa) from the Mediterranean. My approach integrates methods from molecular biology, natural products chemistry, neuroscience and anthropology to identify molecular mechanisms and corresponding mental experiences from these compounds. Specifically, I aim to characterize their receptor binding profiles (brain impact) of dreamfish toxin candidates and describe the phenomenology (mind impact) of intoxication. Understanding ways that the weke pueo and sarpa salpa toxins impact the mind and brain can inform our understanding of how altered states are generated.
Support: Stanford-France Interdisciplinary Center Collaborative Research Grant, NSF Graduate Research Fellowship, Rafe Sagarin Fund for Innovative Ecology
RELATING CONVENTIONAL SCIENCE AND INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE TO UNDERSTAND
MOI (POLYDACTYLUS SEXFILIS) SPAWNING
Co-authors: Uncle Mac Poepoe, Nā Kai 'Ewalu Stewardship Collective
We aim to relate Hawaiian traditional practice and Western science to show what many fishers, including master Lawaiʻa Uncle Mac Poepoe, have observed for years: Moi are spawning for more months of the year than is currently recorded. We will support findings and measurement from traditional practice with western scientific methods to determine the age and spawning time of Moi. These findings, in addition to other data and input from fishers and stakeholders, can contribute to necessary information required to revise current fishing regulations to better protect Moi populations during their (shifted) key spawning times.
This collaborative research project is centered on Hawaiian traditional practices and marine stewardship and how these can be used alongside western scientific methods to deepen our understanding of Moi populations. The results from this project will be used to inform future conservation and management practices of this culturally and ecologically important species and provide a foundation for future work investigating Moi survivability and adaptation to climate change.
Support: Kuaʻāina Ulu ʻAuamo, Laboratory of Organismal Biology, Rooker Lab at Texas A&M
Learn more about Moi in Hawaii from this excellent podcast episode interviewing Uncle Mac Poepoe and Hi'ilei Kawelo, and from our slideshow below, created for Waiakea High School in Hilo, Hawai'i.
PAST PROJECTS
I worked in the O'Connell Lab at Stanford studying the link between toad toxins and their diets,
in the Endy Lab at Stanford studying fungal growth, and with the Rutz lab at University of St Andrews
exploring tool use in New Caledonian Crows.
CHEMICALS AND DIET OF THE SONORAN DESERT TOAD
Co-authors: Jules Wyman, Ed Espinoza and Lauren O'Connell
Are the psychoactive molecule (5-Meo-DMT) and derivatives produced by the Sonoran Desert toad linked to their diet?
Incillius alvarius has an apparently unique venom profile containing 5-MeO-DMT and derivatives, which bind to serotonin receptors and cause marked behavioral and psychological effects. The toads are also in need of protection from recreational trends where people "smoke the toad" to induce an altered-state experience.
Some amphibians create their own chemical defenses while others acquire them from what they eat. In our study we analyzed matched toxin gland secretions and diet profiles from wild Sonoran Desert Toads and non-toxic local species around Tucson, Arizona. All Sonoran Desert Toads secreted high concentrations of 5-MeO-DMT, whereas other comparison species did not. However, all toad diets were similar, suggesting that Sonoran Desert Toads do not specialize on toxic prey any more than the non-toxic species do. Our findings suggest that diet is not directly linked to 5-MeO-DMT production, and support the alternative hypotheses that Sonoran Desert toads synthesize 5-MeO-DMT endogenously or via a microbial symbiont.
Our research article was published in PLOS One [2] and a pre-print of our paper is available on BioRXiv. Notable dietary observations were shared in in Herpetological review [3].
Visual Art: Log From Site A (Experimental, 7mins) Selected by the Raw Science Film Festival (CA, USA), International Festival of Science Documentary Films Olomouc (Czech Republic) and Labocine Science and Art Film Festival (NY, USA)
DIET OF THE WEKE PUEO
Collaborators: Kelson Poepoe and Lauren O'Connell
Marine molecules are reported to cause hallucinations, but little is known about them. In collaboration with lawai'a Uncle Mac Poepoe, this project aimed to categorize the diet of the reportedly toxic weke pueo (upeneus taeniopterus) from Hawai'i.
Hawaiian mo'olelo (history) dated to the 1400s speak of “nightmare fish” that induce severe hallucinations, nightmares, and dizziness, especially in summer months. This seasonal difference suggests that the toxins come from the environment, possibly created by dinoflagellates or diatoms.
I used DNA barcoding and Next Generation Sequencing to compare diets of the weke pueo fish in the summer, when the fish are reportedly toxic, and in the winter, when they are not toxic.
Support: Laboratory of Organismal Biology, Molokai High School, Rafe Sagarin Fund for Innovative Ecology, Stanford Biology Summer Research Program, American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists (Cashner Student Award)
FUNGAL GROWTH FOR BIOENGINEERING
Collaborators: Rolando Perez and Drew Endy
Within ecosystems fungi are primary decomposers which means that they degrade organic matter and promote nutrient cycling. Certain species of fungi are adapted to degrade wood and have highly specialized machinery to break down lignin and cellulose. This extraordinary capability means that fungi are specifically adapted to take advantage of materials that we currently do not use because it is locked away as wood biomass. Mycelium, the vegetative tissue of fungi, has also been used in construction and to manufacture biomaterials such as packaging and textiles. These “myco-materials” are biodegradable alternatives to plastic, styrofoam and construction, among other materials that are difficult to recycle.
Given the growing interest and future uses of fungi and mycelium-based materials in particular, there is a need to better understand the characteristics of different fungi. To this end, we created a set of fungal growth standards for use as a baseline across research and industry. We conducted a comparative growth assay across ten strains of wood-degrading fungi and five media types, in both solid and liquid form, to determine growth profiles for each fungus strain in the different media conditions. We found that, of our sample of wood degrading fungi, no one fungus grows unequivocally faster than the rest; each strain is uniquely adapted to taking advantage of different substrates. This data is important as it contributes to a foundational database characterizing different fungi strains.
This work contributed to a larger experiment, which became our 2020 paper in the journal Fungal Biology and Biotechnology [3].
Support: Endy Lab
LATERALITY "HANDED-NESS" IN TOOL USE OF NEW CALEDONIAN CROWS
Collaborators: Barbara Klutz and Christian Rutz
New Caledonian crows are studied to understand animal cognition in the laboratory and in the wild. I analyzed videos of wild New Caledonian Crow tool-making behavior to investigate whether individual crows prefer to use the left or right side of their beaks to hold tools; perhaps analogous to ‘handedness’ in humans.
Here is a link to the BBC article which first inspired me to contact the Rutz lab: https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-37024393
Support: Rutz Lab, SPGS Alice Wellborne Award, SPGS Environmental Contribution Award