title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: DMT is produced in many species of plants often in conjunction with its close chemical relatives 5-methoxy-"N","N"-dimethyltryptamine (5-MeO-DMT) and bufotenin (5-OH-DMT). DMT-containing plants are commonly used in indigenous Amazonian shamanic practices. It is usually one of the main active constituents of the drink ayahuasca; however, ayahuasca is sometimes brewed with plants that do not produce DMT. It occurs as the primary psychoactive alkaloid in several plants including "Mimosa tenuiflora", "Diplopterys cabrerana", and "Psychotria viridis". DMT is found as a minor alkaloid in snuff made from Virola bark resin in which 5-MeO-DMT is the main active alkaloid. DMT is also found as a minor alkaloid in bark, pods, and beans of "Anadenanthera peregrina" and "Anadenanthera colubrina" used to make Yopo and Vilca snuff, in which bufotenin is the main active alkaloid. Psilocin and its precursor psilocybin, an active chemical in many psilocybin mushrooms, are structurally similar to DMT.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: The psychotropic effects of DMT were first studied scientifically by the Hungarian chemist and psychologist Stephen Szára, who performed research with volunteers in the mid-1950s. Szára, who later worked for the United States National Institutes of Health, had turned his attention to DMT after his order for LSD from the Swiss company Sandoz Laboratories was rejected on the grounds that the powerful psychotropic could be dangerous in the hands of a communist country.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: DMT is generally not active orally unless it is combined with a monoamine oxidase inhibitor such as a reversible inhibitor of monoamine oxidase A (RIMA), for example, harmaline. Without a MAOI, the body quickly metabolizes orally administered DMT, and it therefore has no hallucinogenic effect unless the dose exceeds the body's monoamine oxidase's metabolic capacity. Other means of consumption such as vaporizing, injecting, or insufflating the drug can produce powerful hallucinations for a short time (usually less than half an hour), as the DMT reaches the brain before it can be metabolized by the body's natural monoamine oxidase. Taking an MAOI prior to vaporizing or injecting DMT prolongs and potentiates the effects.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: Dimethyltryptamine (DMT), an endogenous ligand of sigma-1 receptors (Sig-1Rs), acts against systemic hypoxia. Research demonstrates DMT reduces the number of apoptotic and ferroptotic cells in mammalian forebrain and supports astrocyte survival in an ischemic environment. According to these data, DMT may be considered as adjuvant pharmacological therapy in the management of acute cerebral ischemia.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: SPL026 (DMT fumarate) is currently undergoing phase II clinical trials investigating its use alongside supportive psychotherapy as a potential treatment Major Depressive Disorder. Additionally, a safety study is underway to investigate the effects of combining SSRIs with SPL026.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: Recently, researchers discovered that N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT or N,N-DMT) is a potent psychoplastogen, a compound capable of promoting rapid and sustained neuroplasticity that may have wide-ranging therapeutic benefit.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: Quantities of dimethyltryptamine and "O"-methylbufotenin were found present in the cerebrospinal fluid of humans in a psychiatric study.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: Induced DMT experiences can include profound time-dilation, visual, auditory, tactile, and proprioceptive distortions and hallucinations, and other experiences that, by most firsthand accounts, defy verbal or visual description. Examples include perceiving hyperbolic geometry or seeing Escher-like impossible objects.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: Several scientific experimental studies have tried to measure subjective experiences of altered states of consciousness induced by drugs under highly controlled and safe conditions.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: Rick Strassman and his colleagues conducted a five-year-long DMT study at the University of New Mexico in the 1990s. The results provided insight about the quality of subjective psychedelic experiences. In this study participants received the DMT dosage via intravenous injection and the findings suggested that different psychedelic experiences can occur, depending on the level of dosage. Lower doses (0.01 and 0.05 mg/kg) produced some aesthetic and emotional responses, but not hallucinogenic experiences (e.g., 0.05 mg/kg had mild mood elevating and calming properties). In contrast, responses produced by higher doses (0.2 and 0.4 mg/kg) researchers labeled as "hallucinogenic" that elicited "intensely colored, rapidly moving display of visual images, formed, abstract or both". Comparing to other sensory modalities the most affected was the visual. Participants reported visual hallucinations, fewer auditory hallucinations and specific physical sensations progressing to a sense of bodily dissociation, as well as to experiences of euphoria, calm, fear, and anxiety. These dose-dependent effects match well with anonymously posted "trip reports" online, where users report "breakthroughs" above certain doses.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: Strassman also stressed the importance of the context where the drug has been taken. He claimed that DMT has no beneficial effects of itself, rather the context when and where people take it plays an important role.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: It appears that DMT can induce a state or feeling where the person believes to "communicate with other intelligent-life forms" (see "machine elves"). High doses of DMT produce a state that involves a sense of "another intelligence" that people sometimes describe as "super-intelligent", but "emotionally detached".


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: A 1995 study by Adolf Dittrich and Daniel Lamparter found that the DMT-induced altered state of consciousness (ASC) is strongly influenced by habitual rather than situative factors. In the study, researchers used three dimensions of the APZ questionnaire to examine ASC. The first dimension, oceanic boundlessness (OB), refers to dissolution of ego boundaries and is mostly associated with positive emotions. The second dimension, anxious ego-dissolution (AED), represents a disordering of thoughts and decreases in autonomy and self-control. Last, visionary restructuralization (VR) refers to auditory/visual illusions and hallucinations. Results showed strong effects within the first and third dimensions for all conditions, especially with DMT, and suggested strong intrastability of elicited reactions independently of the condition for the OB and VR scales.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: Entities perceived during DMT inebriation have been represented in diverse forms of psychedelic art. The term "machine elf" was coined by ethnobotanist Terence McKenna for the entities he encountered in DMT "hyperspace", also using terms like "fractal elves", or "self-transforming machine elves". McKenna first encountered the "machine elves" after smoking DMT in Berkeley in 1965. His subsequent speculations regarding the hyperdimensional space in which they were encountered have inspired a great many artists and musicians, and the meaning of DMT entities has been a subject of considerable debate among participants in a networked cultural underground, enthused by McKenna's effusive accounts of DMT hyperspace. Cliff Pickover has also written about the "machine elf" experience, in the book "Sex, Drugs, Einstein, & Elves". Strassman noted similarities between self-reports of his DMT study participants' encounters with these "entities", and mythological descriptions of figures such as Ḥayyot haq-Qodesh in ancient religions, including both angels and demons. Strassman also argues for a similarity in his study participants' descriptions of mechanized wheels, gears and machinery in these encounters, with those described in visions of encounters with the Living Creatures and Ophanim of the Hebrew Bible, noting they may stem from a common neuropsychopharmacological experience.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: Strassman argues that the more positive of the "external entities" encountered in DMT experiences should be understood as analogous to certain forms of angels:


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: Strassman's experimental participants also note that some other entities can subjectively resemble creatures more like insects and aliens. As a result, Strassman writes these experiences among his experimental participants "also left me feeling confused and concerned about where the spirit molecule was leading us. It was at this point that I began to wonder if I was getting in over my head with this research."


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: Hallucinations of strange creatures had been reported by Stephen Szara in a 1958 study in psychotic patients, in which he described how one of his subjects under the influence of DMT had experienced "strange creatures, dwarves or something" at the beginning of a DMT trip.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: Other researchers of the entities seemingly encountered by DMT users describe them as "entities" or "beings" in humanoid as well as animal form, with descriptions of "little people" being common (non-human gnomes, elves, imps, etc.). Strassman and others have speculated that this form of hallucination may be the cause of alien abduction and extraterrestrial encounter experiences, which may occur through endogenously-occurring DMT.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: Likening them to descriptions of rattling and chattering auditory phenomena described in encounters with the Hayyoth in the Book of Ezekiel, Rick Strassman notes that participants in his studies, when reporting encounters with the alleged entities, have also described loud auditory hallucinations, such as one subject reporting typically "the elves laughing or talking at high volume, chattering, twittering".


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: A 2018 study found significant relationships between a DMT experience and a near-death experience. A 2019 large-scale study found that ketamine, "Salvia divinorum", and DMT (and other classical psychedelic substances) are linked to near-death experiences.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: According to a dose-response study in human subjects, dimethyltryptamine administered intravenously slightly elevated blood pressure, heart rate, pupil diameter, and rectal temperature, in addition to elevating blood concentrations of beta-endorphin, corticotropin, cortisol, and prolactin; growth hormone blood levels rise equally in response to all doses of DMT, and melatonin levels were unaffected."


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: The dependence potential of DMT and the risk of sustained psychological disturbance may be minimal when used infrequently, as in religious ceremonies; however, the physiological dependence potential of DMT and ayahuasca has not yet been documented convincingly.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: In the 1950s, the endogenous production of psychoactive agents was considered to be a potential explanation for the hallucinatory symptoms of some psychiatric diseases; this is known as the transmethylation hypothesis. Several speculative and yet untested hypotheses suggest that endogenous DMT is produced in the human brain and is involved in certain psychological and neurological states. DMT is naturally occurring in small amounts in rat brain, human cerebrospinal fluid, and other tissues of humans and other mammals. Further, mRNA for the enzyme necessary for the production of DMT, INMT, are expressed in the human cerebral cortex, choroid plexus, and pineal gland, suggesting an endogenous role in the human brain. In 2011, Nicholas V. Cozzi, of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, concluded that INMT, an enzyme that is associated with the biosynthesis of DMT and endogenous hallucinogens, is present in the primate (rhesus macaque) pineal gland, retinal ganglion neurons, and spinal cord. Neurobiologist Andrew Gallimore (2013) suggested that while DMT might not have a modern neural function, it may have been an ancestral neuromodulator once secreted in psychedelic concentrations during REM sleep, a function now lost.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: A standard dose for vaporized DMT is 20–60 milligrams, depending highly on the efficiency of vaporization as well as body weight and personal variation. In general, this is inhaled in a few successive breaths, but lower doses can be used if the user can inhale it in fewer breaths (ideally one). The effects last for a short period of time, usually 5 to 15 minutes, dependent on the dose. The onset after inhalation is very fast (less than 45 seconds) and peak effects are reached within a minute. In the 1960s, DMT was known as a "businessman's trip" in the US because of the relatively short duration (and rapid onset) of action when inhaled. DMT can be inhaled using a bong, typically when sandwiched between layers of plant matter, using a specially designed pipe, or by using an e-cigarette once it has been dissolved in propylene glycol or vegetable glycerin. Some users have also started using vaporizers meant for cannabis extracts ("wax pens") for ease of temperature control when vaporizing crystals. A DMT-infused smoking blend is called Changa, and is typically used in pipes or other utensils meant for smoking dried plant matter.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: In a study conducted from 1990 through 1995, University of New Mexico psychiatrist Rick Strassman found that some volunteers injected with high doses of DMT reported experiences with perceived alien entities. Usually, the reported entities were experienced as the inhabitants of a perceived independent reality that the subjects reported visiting while under the influence of DMT.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: DMT is broken down by the enzyme monoamine oxidase through a process called deamination, and is quickly inactivated orally unless combined with a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI). The traditional South American beverage ayahuasca, or yage, is derived by boiling the ayahuasca vine ("Banisteriopsis caapi") with leaves of one or more plants containing DMT, such as "Psychotria viridis", "Psychotria carthagenensis", or "Diplopterys cabrerana". The Ayahuasca vine contains harmala alkaloids, highly active reversible inihibitors of monoamine oxidase A (RIMAs), rendering the DMT orally active by protecting it from deamination. A variety of different recipes are used to make the brew depending on the purpose of the ayahuasca session, or local availability of ingredients. Two common sources of DMT in the western US are reed canary grass ("Phalaris arundinacea") and Harding grass ("Phalaris aquatica"). These invasive grasses contain low levels of DMT and other alkaloids but also contain gramine, which is toxic and difficult to separate. In addition, Jurema ("Mimosa tenuiflora") shows evidence of DMT content: the pink layer in the inner rootbark of this small tree contains a high concentration of "N,N"-DMT.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: Taken orally with an RIMA, DMT produces a long-lasting (over three hours), slow, deep metaphysical experience similar to that of psilocybin mushrooms, but more intense. RIMAs should be used with caution as they can have fatal interactions with some prescription drugs such as SSRI antidepressants, and some over-the-counter drugs known as sympathomimetics such as ephedrine or certain cough medicines and even some herbal remedies.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: The intensity of orally administered DMT depends on the type and dose of MAOI administered alongside it. When ingested with 120mg of harmine (a RIMA and member of the harmala alkaloids), 20mg of DMT was reported to have psychoactive effects by author and ethnobotanist Jonathan Ott. Ott reported that to produce a visionary state, the threshold oral dose was 30mg DMT alongside 120mg harmine. This is not necessarily indicative of a standard dose, as dose-dependent effects may vary due to individual variations in drug metabolism.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: Naturally occurring substances (of both vegetable and animal origin) containing DMT have been used in South America since pre-Columbian times.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: DMT was first synthesized in 1931 by chemist Richard Helmuth Fredrick Manske (born 1901 in Berlin, Germany – 1977). In general, its discovery as a natural product is credited to Brazilian chemist and microbiologist Oswaldo Gonçalves de Lima (1908–1989) who, in 1946, isolated an alkaloid he named "nigerina" (nigerine) from the root bark of "jurema preta", that is, "Mimosa tenuiflora". However, in a careful review of the case Jonathan Ott shows that the empirical formula for nigerine determined by Gonçalves de Lima, which notably contains an atom of oxygen, can match only a partial, "impure" or "contaminated" form of DMT. It was only in 1959, when Gonçalves de Lima provided American chemists a sample of "Mimosa tenuiflora" roots, that DMT was unequivocally identified in this plant material. Less ambiguous is the case of isolation and formal identification of DMT in 1955 in seeds and pods of "Anadenanthera peregrina" by a team of American chemists led by Evan Horning (1916–1993). Since 1955, DMT has been found in a host of organisms: in at least fifty plant species belonging to ten families, and in at least four animal species, including one gorgonian and three mammalian species (including humans).


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: In terms of a scientific understanding, the hallucinogenic properties of DMT were not uncovered until 1956 by Hungarian chemist and psychiatrist Stephen Szara. In his paper “Dimethyltryptamin: Its Metabolism in Man;


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: Serotonin Metabolism”, Szara employed synthetic DMT, synthesized by the method of Speeter and Anthony, which was then administered to 20 volunteers by intramuscular injection. Urine samples were collected from these volunteers for the identification of DMT metabolites. This is considered to be the converging link between the chemical structure DMT to its cultural consumption as a psychoactive and religious sacrament.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: Another historical milestone is the discovery of DMT in plants frequently used by Amazonian natives as additive to the vine "Banisteriopsis caapi" to make ayahuasca decoctions. In 1957, American chemists Francis Hochstein and Anita Paradies identified DMT in an "aqueous extract" of leaves of a plant they named "Prestonia amazonicum" ["sic"] and described as "commonly mixed" with "B. caapi". The lack of a proper botanical identification of "Prestonia amazonica" in this study led American ethnobotanist Richard Evans Schultes (1915–2001) and other scientists to raise serious doubts about the claimed plant identity. The mistake likely led the writer William Burroughs to regard the DMT he experimented with in Tangier in 1961 as "Prestonia". Better evidence was produced in 1965 by French pharmacologist Jacques Poisson, who isolated DMT as a sole alkaloid from leaves, provided and used by Aguaruna Indians, identified as having come from the vine "Diplopterys cabrerana" (then known as "Banisteriopsis rusbyana"). Published in 1970, the first identification of DMT in the plant "Psychotria viridis", another common additive of ayahuasca, was made by a team of American researchers led by pharmacologist Ara der Marderosian. Not only did they detect DMT in leaves of "P. viridis" obtained from Kaxinawá indigenous people, but they also were the first to identify it in a sample of an ayahuasca decoction, prepared by the same indigenous people.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: Internationally DMT is illegal, but ayahuasca and DMT brews and preparations are lawful. DMT is controlled by the Convention on Psychotropic Substances at the international level. The Convention makes it illegal to possess, buy, purchase, sell, to retail and to dispense without a licence.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: In some countries Ayahuasca is a forbidden substance or a controlled substance or regulated substance while in other countries is not a controlled substance or is even all


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: In 2017 the Santo Daime Church Céu do Montréal received religious exemption to use Ayahuasca as a sacrament in their rituals.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: In December 2004, the Supreme Court lifted a stay, thereby allowing the Brazil-based União do Vegetal (UDV) church to use a decoction containing DMT in their Christmas services that year. This decoction is a tea made from boiled leaves and vines, known as hoasca within the UDV, and ayahuasca in different cultures. In "Gonzales v. O Centro Espírita Beneficente União do Vegetal", the Supreme Court heard arguments on 1 November 2005, and unanimously ruled in February 2006 that the U.S. federal government must allow the UDV to import and consume the tea for religious ceremonies under the 1993 Religious Freedom Restoration Act.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: In September 2008, the three Santo Daime churches filed suit in federal court to gain legal status to import DMT-containing ayahuasca tea. The case, "Church of the Holy Light of the Queen v. Mukasey", presided over by Judge Owen M. Panner, was ruled in favor of the Santo Daime church. As of 21 March 2009, a federal judge says members of the church in Ashland can import, distribute and brew ayahuasca. U.S. District Judge Owen Panner issued a permanent injunction barring the government from prohibiting or penalizing the sacramental use of "Daime tea". Panner's order said activities of The Church of the Holy Light of the Queen are legal and protected under freedom of religion. His order prohibits the federal government from interfering with and prosecuting church members who follow a list of regulations set out in his order.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: DMT is commonly handled and stored as a hemifumarate, as other DMT acid salts are extremely hygroscopic and will not readily crystallize. Its freebase form, although less stable than DMT hemifumarate, is favored by recreational users choosing to vaporize the chemical as it has a lower boiling point.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: Dimethyltryptamine is an indole alkaloid derived from the shikimate pathway. Its biosynthesis is relatively simple and summarized in the adjacent picture. In plants, the parent amino acid L-tryptophan is produced endogenously where in animals L-tryptophan is an essential amino acid coming from diet. No matter the source of L-tryptophan, the biosynthesis begins with its decarboxylation by an aromatic amino acid decarboxylase (AADC) enzyme (step 1). The resulting decarboxylated tryptophan analog is tryptamine. Tryptamine then undergoes a transmethylation (step 2): the enzyme indolethylamine-N-methyltransferase (INMT) catalyzes the transfer of a methyl group from cofactor S-adenosyl-methionine (SAM), via nucleophilic attack, to tryptamine. This reaction transforms SAM into S-adenosylhomocysteine (SAH), and gives the intermediate product "N"-methyltryptamine (NMT). NMT is in turn transmethylated by the same process (step 3) to form the end product "N","N"-dimethyltryptamine. Tryptamine transmethylation is regulated by two products of the reaction: SAH, and DMT were shown "ex vivo" to be among the most potent inhibitors of rabbit INMT activity.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: This transmethylation mechanism has been repeatedly and consistently proven by radiolabeling of SAM methyl group with carbon-14 (C-CH)SAM.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: DMT can be synthesized through several possible pathways from different starting materials. The two most commonly encountered synthetic routes are through the reaction of indole with oxalyl chloride followed by reaction with dimethylamine and reduction of the carbonyl functionalities with lithium aluminum hydride to form DMT. The second commonly encountered route is through the n,n-dimethylation of tryptamine using formaldehyde followed by reduction with sodium cyanoborohydride or sodium triacetoxyborohydride. Sodium borohydride can be used but requires a larger excess of reagents and lower temperatures due to it having a higher selectivity for carbonyl groups as opposed to imines. Procedures using sodium cyanoborohydride and sodium triacetoxyborohydride (presumably created in situ from cyanoborohydride though this may not be the case due to the presence of water and/or methanol) also result in the creation of cyanated tryptamine and beta-carboline by-products of unknown toxicity while using sodium borohydride in absence of acid does not. Bufotenine, a plant extract, can also be synthesized into DMT. Alternatively methyl iodide can be used but this results in the creation of a quaternary ammonium salt which must be transformed back into a tertiary amine.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: In a clandestine setting, DMT is not typically synthesized due to the lack of availability of the starting materials, namely tryptamine and oxalyl chloride. Instead, it is more often extracted from plant sources using a non-polar hydrocarbon solvent such as naphtha or heptane, and a base such as sodium hydroxide.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: A variety of plants contain DMT at sufficient levels for being viable sources, but specific plants such as "Mimosa tenuiflora, Acacia Acuminata" and "Acacia confusa" are most often used.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: The chemicals involved in the extraction are commonly available. The plant material may be illegal to procure in some countries. The end product (DMT) is illegal in most countries.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: Published in "Science" in 1961, Julius Axelrod found an "N"-methyltransferase enzyme capable of mediating biotransformation of tryptamine into DMT in a rabbit's lung. This finding initiated a still ongoing scientific interest in endogenous DMT production in humans and other mammals. From then on, two major complementary lines of evidence have been investigated: localization and further characterization of the "N"-methyltransferase enzyme, and analytical studies looking for endogenously produced DMT in body fluids and tissues.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: A study published in 2014 reported the biosynthesis of "N,N"-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) in the human melanoma cell line SK-Mel-147 including details on its metabolism by peroxidases.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: It is assumed that more than half of the amount of DMT produced by the acidophilic cells of the pineal gland is secreted before and during death, the amount being 0.0025-0.0034 g/kg. However, this claim by Strassman has been criticized by David Nichols who notes that DMT does not appear to be produced in any meaningful amount by the pineal gland. Removal or calcification of the pineal gland does not induce any of the symptoms caused by removal of DMT. The symptoms presented are consistent solely with reduction in melatonin, which is the pineal gland's known function. Nichols instead suggests that dynorphin and other endorphins are responsible for the reported euphoria experienced by patients during a near-death experience.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: In 2014, researchers demonstrated the immunomodulatory potential of DMT and 5-MeO-DMT through the Sigma-1 receptor of human immune cells. This immunomodulatory activity may contribute to significant anti-inflammatory effects and tissue regeneration.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: "N,N"-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a psychedelic compound identified endogenously in mammals, is biosynthesized by aromatic-"L"-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC) and indolethylamine-"N"-methyltransferase (INMT). Studies have investigated brain expression of INMT transcript in rats and humans, co-expression of INMT and AADC mRNA in rat brain and periphery, and brain concentrations of DMT in rats. INMT transcripts were identified in the cerebral cortex, pineal gland, and choroid plexus of both rats and humans via "in situ" hybridization. Notably, INMT mRNA was colocalized with AADC transcript in rat brain tissues, in contrast to rat peripheral tissues where there existed little overlapping expression of INMT with AADC transcripts. Additionally, extracellular concentrations of DMT in the cerebral cortex of normal behaving rats, with or without the pineal gland, were similar to those of canonical monoamine neurotransmitters including serotonin. A significant increase of DMT levels in the rat visual cortex was observed following induction of experimental cardiac arrest, a finding independent of an intact pineal gland. These results show for the first time that the rat brain is capable of synthesizing and releasing DMT at concentrations comparable to known monoamine neurotransmitters and raise the possibility that this phenomenon may occur similarly in human brains.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: The first claimed detection of mammalian endogenous DMT was published in June 1965: German researchers F. Franzen and H. Gross report to have evidenced and quantified DMT, along with its structural analog bufotenin (5-HO-DMT), in human blood and urine. In an article published four months later, the method used in their study was strongly criticized, and the credibility of their results challenged.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: Few of the analytical methods used prior to 2001 to measure levels of endogenously formed DMT had enough sensitivity and selectivity to produce reliable results. Gas chromatography, preferably coupled to mass spectrometry (GC-MS), is considered a minimum requirement. A study published in 2005 implements the most sensitive and selective method ever used to measure endogenous DMT: liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry with electrospray ionization (LC-ESI-MS/MS) allows for reaching limits of detection (LODs) 12 to 200 fold lower than those attained by the best methods employed in the 1970s. The data summarized in the table below are from studies conforming to the abovementioned requirements (abbreviations used: CSF = cerebrospinal fluid; LOD = limit of detection; n = number of samples; ng/L and ng/kg = nanograms (10 g) per litre, and nanograms per kilogram, respectively):


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: A 2013 study found DMT in microdialysate obtained from a rat's pineal gland, providing evidence of endogenous DMT in the mammalian brain. In 2019 experiments showed that the rat brain is capable of synthesizing and releasing DMT. These results raise the possibility that this phenomenon may occur similarly in human brains.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: DMT may be measured in blood, plasma or urine using chromatographic techniques as a diagnostic tool in clinical poisoning situations or to aid in the medicolegal investigation of suspicious deaths. In general, blood or plasma DMT levels in recreational users of the drug are in the 10–30 μg/L range during the first several hours post-ingestion. Less than 0.1% of an oral dose is eliminated unchanged in the 24-hour urine of humans.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: Before techniques of molecular biology were used to localize indolethylamine "N"-methyltransferase (INMT), characterization and localization went on a par: samples of the biological material where INMT is hypothesized to be active are subject to enzyme assay. Those enzyme assays are performed either with a radiolabeled methyl donor like (C-CH)SAM to which known amounts of unlabeled substrates like tryptamine are added or with addition of a radiolabeled substrate like (C)NMT to demonstrate in vivo formation. As qualitative determination of the radioactively tagged product of the enzymatic reaction is sufficient to characterize INMT existence and activity (or lack of), analytical methods used in INMT assays are not required to be as sensitive as those needed to directly detect and quantify the minute amounts of endogenously formed DMT (see DMT subsection below). The essentially qualitative method thin layer chromatography (TLC) was thus used in a vast majority of studies. Also, robust evidence that INMT can catalyze transmethylation of tryptamine into NMT and DMT could be provided with reverse isotope dilution analysis coupled to mass spectrometry for rabbit and human lung during the early 1970s.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: Selectivity rather than sensitivity proved to be an Achilles' heel for some TLC methods with the discovery in 1974–1975 that incubating rat blood cells or brain tissue with (C-CH)SAM and NMT as substrate mostly yields tetrahydro-β-carboline derivatives, and negligible amounts of DMT in brain tissue. It is indeed simultaneously realized that the TLC methods used thus far in almost all published studies on INMT and DMT biosynthesis are incapable to resolve DMT from those tetrahydro-β-carbolines. These findings are a blow for all previous claims of evidence of INMT activity and DMT biosynthesis in avian and mammalian brain, including in vivo, as they all relied upon use of the problematic TLC methods: their validity is doubted in replication studies that make use of improved TLC methods, and fail to evidence DMT-producing INMT activity in rat and human brain tissues. Published in 1978, the last study attempting to evidence in vivo INMT activity and DMT production in brain (rat) with TLC methods finds biotransformation of radiolabeled tryptamine into DMT to be real but "insignificant". Capability of the method used in this latter study to resolve DMT from tetrahydro-β-carbolines is questioned later.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: To localize INMT, a qualitative leap is accomplished with use of modern techniques of molecular biology, and of immunohistochemistry. In humans, a gene encoding INMT is determined to be located on chromosome 7. Northern blot analyses reveal INMT messenger RNA (mRNA) to be highly expressed in rabbit lung, and in human thyroid, adrenal gland, and lung. Intermediate levels of expression are found in human heart, skeletal muscle, trachea, stomach, small intestine, pancreas, testis, prostate, placenta, lymph node, and spinal cord. Low to very low levels of expression are noted in rabbit brain, and human thymus, liver, spleen, kidney, colon, ovary, and bone marrow. INMT mRNA expression is absent in human peripheral blood leukocytes, whole brain, and in tissue from 7 specific brain regions (thalamus, subthalamic nucleus, caudate nucleus, hippocampus, amygdala, substantia nigra, and corpus callosum). Immunohistochemistry showed INMT to be present in large amounts in glandular epithelial cells of small and large intestines. In 2011, immunohistochemistry revealed the presence of INMT in primate nervous tissue including retina, spinal cord motor neurons, and pineal gland. A 2020 study using in-situ hybridization, a far more accurate tool than the northern blot analysis, found mRNA coding for INMT expressed in the human cerebral cortex, choroid plexus, and pineal gland.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: DMT peak level concentrations ("C") measured in whole blood after intramuscular (IM) injection (0.7 mg/kg, n = 11) and in plasma following intravenous (IV) administration (0.4 mg/kg, n = 10) of fully psychedelic doses are in the range of ≈14 to 154 μg/L and 32 to 204 μg/L, respectively.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: The corresponding molar concentrations of DMT are therefore in the range of 0.074–0.818 μM in whole blood and 0.170–1.08 μM in plasma. However, several studies have described active transport and accumulation of DMT into rat and dog brain following peripheral administration.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: Similar active transport, and accumulation processes likely occur in human brain and may concentrate DMT in brain by several-fold or more (relatively to blood), resulting in local concentrations in the micromolar or higher range. Such concentrations would be commensurate with serotonin brain tissue concentrations, which have been consistently determined to be in the 1.5-4 μM range.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: Closely coextending with peak psychedelic effects, mean time to reach peak concentrations ("T") was determined to be 10–15 minutes in whole blood after IM injection, and 2 minutes in plasma after IV administration. When taken orally mixed in an ayahuasca decoction, and in freeze-dried ayahuasca gel caps, DMT "T" is considerably delayed: 107.59 ± 32.5 minutes, and 90–120 minutes, respectively.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: In September 2020, an "in vitro" and "in vivo" study showed that DMT present in the ayahuasca infusion promotes neurogenesis.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: DMT binds non-selectively with affinities < 0.6 μM to the following serotonin receptors: 5-HT, 5-HT, 5-HT, 5-HT, 5-HT, 5-HT, 5-HT, and 5-HT. An agonist action has been determined at 5-HT, 5-HT and 5-HT. Its efficacies at other serotonin receptors remain to be determined. Of special interest will be the determination of its efficacy at human 5-HT receptor as two "in vitro" assays evidenced DMT's high affinity for this receptor: 0.108 μM and 0.184 μM. This may be of importance because chronic or frequent uses of serotonergic drugs showing preferential high affinity and clear agonism at 5-HT receptor have been causally linked to valvular heart disease.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: It has also been shown to possess affinity for the dopamine D, α-adrenergic, α-adrenergic, imidazoline-1, and σ receptors. Converging lines of evidence established activation of the σ receptor at concentrations of 50–100 μM. Its efficacies at the other receptor binding sites are unclear. It has also been shown "in vitro" to be a substrate for the cell-surface serotonin transporter (SERT) expressed in human platelets, and the rat vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2), which was transiently expressed in fall armyworm Sf9 cells. DMT inhibited SERT-mediated serotonin uptake into platelets at an average concentration of 4.00 ± 0.70 μM and VMAT2-mediated serotonin uptake at an average concentration of 93 ± 6.8 μM.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: As with other so-called "classical hallucinogens", a large part of DMT psychedelic effects can be attributed to a functionally selective activation of the 5-HT receptor. DMT concentrations eliciting 50% of its maximal effect (half maximal effective concentration = EC or K) at the human 5-HT receptor "in vitro" are in the 0.118–0.983 μM range. This range of values coincides well with the range of concentrations measured in blood and plasma after administration of a fully psychedelic dose (see Pharmacokinetics).


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: As DMT has been shown to have slightly better efficacy (EC) at human serotonin 2C receptor than at the 2A receptor, 5-HT is also likely implicated in DMT's overall effects. Other receptors, such as 5-HT σ, may also play a role.


title: N,N-Dimethyltryptamine

text: In 2009, it was hypothesized that DMT may be an endogenous ligand for the σ receptor. The concentration of DMT needed for σ activation "in vitro" (50–100 μM) is similar to the behaviorally active concentration measured in mouse brain of approximately 106 μM This is minimally 4 orders of magnitude higher than the average concentrations measured in rat brain tissue or human plasma under basal conditions (see Endogenous DMT), so σ receptors are likely to be activated only under conditions of high local DMT concentrations. If DMT is stored in synaptic vesicles, such concentrations might occur during vesicular release. To illustrate, while the "average" concentration of serotonin in brain tissue is in the 1.5–4 μM range, the concentration of serotonin in synaptic vesicles was measured at 270 mM. Following vesicular release, the resulting concentration of serotonin in the synaptic cleft, to which serotonin receptors are exposed, is estimated to be about 300 μM. Thus, while "in vitro" receptor binding affinities, efficacies, and average concentrations in tissue or plasma are useful, they are not likely to predict DMT concentrations in the vesicles or at synaptic or intracellular receptors. Under these conditions, notions of receptor selectivity are moot, and it seems probable that most of the receptors identified as targets for DMT (see above) participate in producing its psychedelic effects.


title: Lashana Lynch

text: Lashana Lynch (born 27 November 1987) is a British actress. She is best known for playing the role of Rosaline Capulet in the ABC period drama series "Still Star-Crossed" (2017), Maria Rambeau in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films "Captain Marvel" (2019) and "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness" (2022) and MI6 agent Nomi in the James Bond film "No Time to Die "(2021).


title: Lashana Lynch

text: Lynch made her film debut in the 2012 drama film "Fast Girls", a production presented at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. In it, she plays a runner from a British team nominated for the World Athletics Championships. She later co-starred in the BBC television film "The 7.39" with David Morrissey, Olivia Colman and Sheridan Smith. On television, she has appeared in "Silent Witness" and "Death in Paradise", and was a regular cast member on the short-lived BBC comedy "Crims" in 2015.


title: Lashana Lynch

text: Also in 2015, she starred opposite Lenny Henry in the title role of the Chichester Festival Theatre production of "Educating Rita" by Willy Russell, which played in the Minerva Theatre from 18 June to 25 July. "The Guardian"s review described her as "dazzlingly fresh".


title: Lashana Lynch

text: In 2016, Lynch was cast as leading character Rosaline Capulet in the American period drama series "Still Star-Crossed", produced by Shonda Rhimes. In 2018, she joined the cast of the pilot episode of "" as Agent 355, but was replaced by Ashley Romans in the main series.


title: Lashana Lynch

text: In 2019, she played Maria Rambeau in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film "Captain Marvel". Her character is an Air Force pilot, and the single mother of Monica Rambeau, who grows into an important character in the MCU in her own right. At the same time, she also plays in the British science fiction comedy "The Intergalactic Adventures of Max Cloud" with Scott Adkins and John Hannah.


title: Lashana Lynch

text: In 2020, during the "Black Women in Hollywood Awards", she won an award of distinction along with Niecy Nash and Melina Matsoukas.


title: Lashana Lynch

text: In 2021, Lynch played Nomi, the new 007 agent, alongside Daniel Craig as the retired 007 agent James Bond, in the James Bond film franchise entry "No Time to Die"; the change to a woman holding the 007 designation in the franchise drew international headlines.


title: Lashana Lynch

text: In 2022, Lynch portrayed an Earth-838 variant of her Maria Rambeau character from "Captain Marvel" in "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness". On this Earth, Rambeau became Captain Marvel. In 2022, Lynch also played veteran warrior, Izogie, in the historical epic, "The Woman King", about the Agojie, the all-female military unit of the Kingdom of Dahomey, one of the most powerful states of Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries.


title: Lashana Lynch

text: The actress gives her support to the NGO Action Aid UK which helps women in a precarious situation and who are victims of violence and to their children.


title: Luc Besson

text: Luc Paul Maurice Besson (; born 18 March 1959) is a French film director, screenwriter and producer. He directed or produced the films "Subway" (1985), "The Big Blue" (1988), and "La Femme Nikita" (1990). Besson is associated with the "Cinéma du look" film movement. He has been nominated for a César Award for Best Director and Best Picture for his films "" (1994) and the English-language "" (1999). He won Best Director and Best French Director for his sci-fi action film "The Fifth Element" (1997). He wrote and directed the 2014 sci-fi action film "Lucy" and the 2017 space opera film "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets".


title: Luc Besson

text: Near the beginning of his career, in 1980 he founded his own production company, Les Films du Loup, later renamed as Les Films du Dauphin. These were superseded in 2000 when he co-founded EuropaCorp with his longtime collaborator . As writer, director, or producer, Besson has been involved in the creation of more than 50 films.


title: Luc Besson

text: Besson was born in Paris, to parents who both worked as Club Med scuba-diving instructors. Influenced by this milieu, as a child, Besson planned to become a marine biologist. He spent much of his youth traveling with his parents to tourist resorts in Italy, Yugoslavia, and Greece. The family returned to France when Besson was 10. His parents divorced, and both of them remarried.


title: Luc Besson

text: "Here there is two families, and I am the only bad souvenir of something that doesn't work," he said in the "International Herald Tribune". "And if I disappear, then everything is perfect. The rage to exist comes from here. I have to do something! Otherwise I am going to die."


title: Luc Besson

text: <poem>"I was 17 and I wondered what I was going to do. ... So I took a piece of paper and on the left I put everything I could do, or had skills for, and all the things I couldn't do. The first line was shorter and I could see that I loved writing, I loved images, I was taking a lot of pictures. So I thought maybe movies would be good. But I thought that to really know I should go to a set. And a friend of mine knew a guy whose brother was a third assistant on a short film. It's true," he said in a 2000 interview with "The Guardian". "So, I said: 'OK, let's go on the set.' So I went on the set...The day after I went back to see my mum and told her that I was going to make films and stop school and 'bye. And I did it! Very soon after I made a short film and it was very, very bad. I wanted to prove that I could do something, so I made a short film. That was in fact my main concern, to be able to show that I could do one."</poem>


title: Luc Besson

text: Besson reportedly worked on the first drafts of "Le Grand Bleu" while still in his teens. Out of boredom, he started writing stories, including the background to what he later developed as "The Fifth Element" (1997), one of his most popular movies. The film is inspired by the French comic books which Besson read as a teenager. Besson directed and co-wrote the screenplay of this science fiction thriller with American screenwriter Robert Mark Kamen.


title: Luc Besson

text: At 18, Besson returned to his birthplace of Paris. There he took odd jobs in film to get a feel for the industry. He worked as an assistant to directors including Claude Faraldo and Patrick Grandperret. Besson directed three short films, a commissioned documentary, and several commercials. After this, he moved to the United States for three years, but returned to Paris, where he formed his own production company. He first named it "Les Films du Loup," but changed it to "Les Films du Dauphin".


title: Luc Besson

text: In the early 1980s, Besson met Éric Serra and asked him to compose the score for his first short film, "L'Avant dernier". He later used Serra as a composer for other films of his. Since the late 20th century, Besson has written and produced numerous action movies, including the "Taxi" series (1998–2007), the "Transporter" series (2002–2008; another collaboration with Robert Mark Kamen), and the Jet Li films "Kiss of the Dragon" and "Unleashed." His English-language films "Taken", "Taken 2", and "Taken 3", all co-written with Kamen and starring Liam Neeson, have been major successes, with "Taken 2" becoming the largest-grossing export French film. Besson produced the promotional movie for the Paris 2012 Olympic bid.


title: Luc Besson

text: Besson won the Lumières Award for Best Director and the César Award for Best Director, for his film "The Fifth Element" (1997). He was nominated for Best Director and Best Picture César Awards for his films "" (1994) and "" (1999). French actor Jean Reno has appeared in several films by Besson, including "Le dernier combat" (1983), "Subway" (1985), "The Big Blue" (1988), "La Femme Nikita" (1990), and "" (1994).


title: Luc Besson

text: Critics such as Raphaël Bassan and Guy Austin cite Besson as a pivotal figure in the Cinéma du look movement, a specific, highly visual style produced from the 1980s into the early 1990s. "Subway" (1985), "The Big Blue" (1988) and "La Femme Nikita" (1990) are all considered to be of this stylistic school. The term was coined by critic Raphaël Bassan in a 1989 essay in "La Revue du Cinema n° 449." A partisan of the experimental cinema and friend of the New Wave (""nouvelle vague"") directors, Bassan grouped Besson with Jean-Jacques Beineix and Leos Carax as three directors who shared the style of ""le look."" These directors were later described critically as favouring style over substance, and spectacle over narrative.


title: Luc Besson

text: Besson, along with most of the filmmakers so categorised, was uncomfortable with the label. He contrasted their work with France's New Wave. "Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut were rebelling against existing cultural values and used cinema as a means of expression simply because it was the most avant-garde medium at the time," said Besson in a 1985 interview in "The New York Times". "Today, the revolution is occurring entirely within the industry and is led by people who want to change the look of movies by making them better, more convincing and pleasurable to watch.


title: Luc Besson

text: "Because it's becoming increasingly difficult to break into this field, we have developed a psychological armor and are ready to do anything in order to work," he added. "I think our ardor alone is going to shake the pillars of the moviemaking establishment."


title: Luc Besson

text: Besson directed a biopic of Aung San Suu Kyi called "The Lady" (2011) (original title "Dans la Lumiere"). He also worked on "Lockout" (2012).


title: Luc Besson

text: Many of Besson's films have achieved popular, if not critical, success. One such release was "Le Grand Bleu".


title: Luc Besson

text: "When the film had its premiere on opening night at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival, it was mercilessly drubbed, but no matter; it was a smash," observed the "International Herald Tribune" in a 2007 profile of Besson. "Embraced by young people who kept returning to see it again, the movie sold 10 million tickets and quickly became what the French call a 'film générationnel,' a defining moment in the culture."


title: Luc Besson

text: Besson created the Arthur series, which comprises "Arthur and the Minimoys", "Arthur and the Forbidden City", "Arthur and the Vengeance of Maltazard" and "Arthur and the War of the Two Worlds". He directed "Arthur and the Invisibles", an adaptation of the first two books of the collection. A film with live action and animation, it was released in the UK and the US.


title: Luc Besson

text: Besson has been described as "the most Hollywood of French filmmakers." Scott Tobias wrote that his "slick, commercial" action movies were "so interchangeable—drugs, sleaze, chuckling supervillainy, and Hong Kong-style effects—that each new project probably starts with white-out on the title page."


title: Luc Besson

text: American film critic Armond White has praised Besson, whom he ranks as one of the best film producers, for refining and revolutionizing action film. He wrote that Besson dramatizes the struggle of his characters "as a conscientious resistance to human degradation".


title: Luc Besson

text: Besson has been married four times; first, in 1986, to actress Anne Parillaud. Besson and Parillaud had a daughter, Juliette, born in 1987. Parillaud starred in Besson's "La Femme Nikita" (1990). The couple divorced in 1991.


title: Luc Besson

text: Besson's second wife was actress and director Maïwenn Le Besco, whom he started dating when he was 31 and she was 15. They married in late 1992 when Le Besco, 16, was pregnant with their daughter Shanna, who was born on 3 January 1993. Le Besco later claimed that their relationship inspired Besson's film "" (1994), where the plot involved the emotional relationship between an adult man and a 12-year-old girl. Their marriage ended in 1997, after Besson became involved with actress Milla Jovovich during the filming of "The Fifth Element" (1997).


title: Luc Besson

text: On 28 August 2004, at the age of , Besson married film producer Virginie Silla. The couple have three children: Thalia, Sateen, and Mao Besson.


title: Luc Besson

text: In 2018, actress Sand Van Roy, who had worked with him on films, accused Besson of rape, as did several other actresses who wished to remain anonymous. The director's lawyer Thierry Marembert stated that Besson "categorically denies these fantasist accusations" and that the accuser was "someone he knows, towards whom he has never behaved inappropriately". Five women have made similar statements against Besson, including a former assistant, two students of Cité du Cinéma studio, and a former employee of Besson's EuropaCorp.


title: Luc Besson

text: In February 2019, French prosecutors dropped the case against Luc Besson, citing lack of evidence. In December 2021, a judge dismissed the case against Besson following a second investigation. In April 2022, Sand Van Roy submitted a complaint against the magistrate in charge of the case.


title: Luc Besson

text: Among Besson's awards are the Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film Critics Prize, Fantasporto Audience Jury Award-Special Mention, Best Director, and Best Film, for "Le Dernier Combat" in 1983; the Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists Silver Ribbon-Best Director-Foreign Film, for "La Femme Nikita", 1990; the Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film, "Nil by Mouth", 1997; and the Best Director Cesar Award, for "The Fifth Element", 1997.


title: Luc Besson

text: In 2000, Besson superseded his production company by co-founding EuropaCorp with Pierre-Ange Le Pogam, with whom he had frequently worked since 1985. Le Pogam had then been Distribution Director with Gaumont. EuropaCorp has had strong growth based on several English-language films, with international distribution. It has production facilities in Paris, Normandy, and Hollywood, and is establishing distribution partnerships in Japan and China.


title: Heartstopper (TV series)

text: Heartstopper is a British coming-of-age romantic comedy-drama television series on Netflix, adapted from the webcomic and graphic novel of the same name by Alice Oseman. Written by Oseman herself, the series primarily tells the story of Charlie Spring (Joe Locke), a gay schoolboy who falls in love with classmate Nick Nelson (Kit Connor), whom he sits next to in his new form. It also explores the lives of Tao (William Gao), Elle (Yasmin Finney), Tara (Corinna Brown) and Darcy (Kizzy Edgell).


title: Heartstopper (TV series)

text: The television rights for the series were purchased by See-Saw Films in 2019, and Netflix acquired distribution rights in 2021. Euros Lyn was enlisted as the director. Filming took place from April to June that year, with teasers released throughout the timeframe. Various pre-existing songs were used as the series' soundtrack, in addition to an original score by Adiescar Chase. The cinematographic styles and colour grading were planned ahead to give the series atmospheric elegance, amplified by the use of traditional animation adapted from the source material.


title: Heartstopper (TV series)

text: "Heartstopper" was released on 22 April 2022. It received critical acclaim, particularly for its tone and pacing, as well as its representation of the LGBT community and the first season received nine nominations and five wins for the inaugural ceremony of the Children's and Family Emmy Awards. It gained instant popularity, being among the top 10 English series on Netflix in just two days. It also increased the popularity of the graphic novels as well as the series' songs. On 20 May 2022, it was announced that "Heartstopper" was renewed for a second and third season.


title: Heartstopper (TV series)

text: In 2016, Alice Oseman started a webcomic titled "Heartstopper" which later expanded to a graphic novel after gaining a cult following. Sometime in 2019, See-Saw Films asked Oseman if she could try writing a screenplay. The production company had been suggested by its own executive producer Patrick Walters, who helped with Oseman's Kickstarter campaign in 2018. She expressed interest in doing it, noting the lack of wholesome, teenage LGBT representation on television, hoping that this could potentially assure LGBT youth "that they can find happiness and find romance and find friendship". She wrote a screenplay based on the first two volumes of the graphic novel. See-Saw Films liked it and optioned the television rights later that July.<ref name="wr/dir3"></ref>


title: Heartstopper (TV series)

text: On 20 January 2021, it was revealed that Netflix had ordered "Heartstopper" as an eight-episode half-hour series. It was deemed the best platform by Oseman and Walters due to its global availability. Euros Lyn was enlisted as director and executive producer. He had not read the original source material and called the screenplay riveting. Netflix "Kids & Family content" director Patrick Wheeleer said that the story "deserves to be told" due to its relatability among the young demographic. Walters served as executive producer for the series, alongside Jamie Laurenson, Hakan Kousetta, Iain Canning, and Emile Sherman, with Zorana Piggott as producer. Production design was done by Tim Dickel, series set decoration by Maxwell Fine and props by Zoe Seiffert. During production, the programme had a working title of "Evergreen".


title: Heartstopper (TV series)

text: To provide an authentic depiction, Oseman wanted actual young people to portray the characters. Daniel Edwards-Guy served as casting director. An open casting call went out in January and February 2021 for five of the main characters as well as three of the recurring cast. Oseman explained that the character Aled Last would not appear in the adaptation to respect his story in another novel within the "Heartstopper" universe, "Radio Silence". After over 10,000 people auditioned via Zoom, she announced the first round of casting decisions in April 2021, with Kit Connor and Joe Locke starring as Nick and Charlie respectively. "Heartstopper" marked Locke's acting debut. After agreeing that Locke suited Charlie's role, Connor was auditioned and the production team found a chemistry between the two; the actors themselves recalled only taking a few hours to bond.


title: Heartstopper (TV series)

text: The rest of the cast members were announced days later and included Yasmin Finney, Sebastian Croft, William Gao, Corinna Brown, Kizzy Edgell, Cormac Hyde-Corrin, Rhea Norwood, and Tobie Donovan. Jenny Walser joined in the cast in May 2021. The final audition was conducted face-to-face. Having worked with her previously, Lyn reached out to Olivia Colman after Oseman expressed an interest in a notable actress to portray Sarah; Colman accepted the offer. It was also noted that fans of the webcomic and graphic novel agreed that Colman was suited for the series. Lyn said that Colman's "instinctive" and "warm" character fit Sarah as Nick's mother.


title: Heartstopper (TV series)

text: On 8 July 2022, an open casting call was announced for a 16-year-old character named Sahar Zahid, a British female or non-binary of South Asian descent. That September, it was announced that Leila Khan would play the role and much of the lead cast would return for the second season. Other roles announced included Jack Barton as David Nelson, Nick's older brother; Bradley Riches as Truham student James McEwan; and Nima Taleghani as schoolteacher Mr Farouk. On 4 November 2022, it was announced that Colman, Chetna Pandya, Fisayo Akinade, and Alan Turkington would reprise their roles in the second season, along with new casting including Bel Priestley and Ash Self as Elle's new friends Naomi and Felix, and Thibault de Montalembert as Nick's father Stephane.


title: Heartstopper (TV series)

text: Filming began on location throughout the United Kingdom in April 2021 and finished that June. It mostly took place in Berkshire. Harry's party was filmed at the Hampton Court House in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. A Hollywood Bowl bowling alley in High Wycombe was used for filming. The rugby match shown in the episode "Secret" was filmed at the Thames Valley Athletics Centre. The railway station from where Nick and Charlie depart to the seaside is North Weald railway station in Essex, but the scene on the seaside was filmed in Herne Bay, Kent. After milkshakes, Charlie and his friends are seen walking along the River Thames in Windsor, Berkshire, before their concert. Colman filmed all her scenes in two days. In the episode "Boyfriend", during a scene where Nick and Charlie take a train, Oseman decided to give herself a cameo as a passenger; she is drawing the couple off-screen. The scene near the end of the episode featuring a merry-go-round was filled with crew members.


title: Heartstopper (TV series)

text: Diana Olifirova was enlisted as cinematographer. She was immediately presented with challenges in visually depicting "love and emotion and tenderness". Using an Arri Alexa Mini LF with Canon K35 spherical lenses, she used hand-held cinematography to give the cast space and to achieve an effect that resembled the documentary genre. With production designer Tim Dickel, they conceived a lighthearted colour palette of orange, yellow, turquoise, as well as a mix of pink and blue. Olifrova employed colour gel for the lighting, which she had previously done for "We Are Lady Parts". The colours of the school building was controlled to not be overdone but at the same time to be vivid. The scenes during Harry's birthday party were filmed in daytime, and thus the production team had to shut the windows and use artificial lighting to resemble outdoor lights. Transitions between seasons were achieved through lens flares. The opening scene was achieved in two takes; in the first, the depth of field for Nick achieved through the Contrazoom was deemed overdone; they later managed to reshoot the scene to make it more minimalistic. As Tara and Darcy kiss in the third episode, Nick is bathed in bisexual lighting (pinks, purples, and blues) symbolising him realising his sexuality; this was suggested to Olifirova by the series' creative team.


title: Heartstopper (TV series)

text: As production designer, Dickel worked with set decorator Maxwell Fine, who used his experience in past art lessons to create a realistic representation of British classrooms. Dickel, meanwhile, asked his friends to photograph their kids' rooms, creating a mood board, which was reviewed by the cast. Some of the set objects also changed as the characters progressed and grew. At the geography classroom, Nick's seat was located to have him in front of images of rocks; Fine correlated this with metamorphic rocks forming under pressure, symbolising Nick and Charlie's romantic development. Nick has his room littered with items representing his complicated life. Elle's room is "more refined" and artistic, Tao's room was designed to reflect his cinephilia, and Tara's is awash with teddy bears per the screenplay. With respect to the source material, several set objects were given a hand-drawn style. Reflective of the characters, Charlie's room is wide and chaotic, while Nick's is tidier. Oseman drew murals to be depicted in the series; they were inspired by the works of Hokusai and Julian Opie.


title: Heartstopper (TV series)

text: The second season began filming in September 2022 at Twickenham Studios, London and wrapped in early December the same year.


title: Heartstopper (TV series)

text: In the series, traditionally animated leaves float around during moments of love, a direct copy of the visual motifs in the webcomic. In Nick and Charlie's first kissing scene, sparks of electricity come out as Charlie tries touching Nick's hand. Animated seagulls and lovebirds are also seen. Oseman said that the animations represent a "feeling of magic" they intended to evoke. She had already thought of using such effects while writing the screenplay, conceiving that they would appear primarily during the intimate scenes between Nick and Charlie, which she dubbed ""Heartstopper" moments". Eventually, Anna Peronetto was chosen to create the animations, using a storyboard by Oseman. Peronetto had been a fan of the original source material and was chosen when Oseman made an Instagram post looking for traditional animators. She discussed with Lyn and editor Sofie Alonzi to see what kinds of animations fit in a certain scene. For the lovebirds, she analyzed London feral parakeets.


title: Heartstopper (TV series)

text: Using DaVinci Resolve, Olifirova worked remotely with colourist Toby Tomkins, working for the company Cheat, to create a 3D lookup table (LUT) that resembled the shots' colour palette, as well as "add[ing] a hint of turquoise in the shadows and warmth to skin tones". Lyn had told them he wanted the colour intensity to increase as the story progressed and as seasons changed. They talked about how to create a proper Dolby Vision high dynamic range for the series, establishing colour and tonal limits. Then, the LUT's brightness was stopped down by one so that Olifirova could create additional light in the shadows and experiment with the colour grading. To enhance the HDR, an RGB colour space of DCI-P3 was chosen. Tomkins worked on the first two episodes for two days before working on individual remaining episodes for a day-and-a-half.


title: Heartstopper (TV series)

text: Adiescar Chase composed the score and employed electronic riffs to give it a contemporary feel. "Heartstopper" marks her first project after graduating from the National Film and Television School. She read the webcomic prior to composing and was given direction to have her music complement the pre-existing songs used. Some of the tracks, including the titular one, aided the ""Heartstopper" moments" by further emphasizing the feeling of electricity and excitement.


title: Heartstopper (TV series)

text: When asked whether there would be a second season, Walters said that they were looking forward to it, seeing that the executives of Netflix seemed to "understand" the series. Locke and Connor had also expressed anticipation for a renewal, noting the narrative progression in the series' source material. On 20 May 2022, following Netflix's review of the 28-day viewing figures, it was announced that the series had been renewed for two more seasons. Season 2 began production in late 2022 and a release date is to be announced.


title: Heartstopper (TV series)

text: "Heartstopper" one-minute teaser was released on 16 March 2022. "Collider" then announced that its tagline was: "Boy meets boy. Boys become friends. Boys fall in love." Hilary Remley, who wrote the news, saw the teaser as teasing the series' "emotionally vulnerable" air, "showing the experience of teenage love in a direct and sincere way", assured that audiences will enjoy the final product due to its faithfulness to the source material's dreamlike aesthetic. The series' episode titles were released on 19 April, before the series' episodes were released on 22 April 2022.


title: Heartstopper (TV series)

text: A selection of songs used in the soundtrack for the series were released digitally on Spotify under the title "Heartstopper: Official Mixtape" to coincide with the series' release on 22 April 2022. Chase's score was also released on the same day. A single by British artist Baby Queen, "Colours of You", was released by Polydor Records in conjunction with the launch. Other popular songs featured in the series include "Girls" by Girl in Red and "Tired" by Beabadoobee.


title: Heartstopper (TV series)

text: During its debut week, "Heartstopper" ranked at number seven on Netflix's Top 10 TV English titles just two days after its release. Based on Netflix's methodology of measuring a programme by the number of hours, the series generated 14.55million hours viewed. The following week, the show climbed to number 5 with 23.94million hours viewed. In its third week, the show dropped to sixth position with new viewership numbers of 14.97million viewing hours. "Variety" reported the series had reached Netflix's Top Ten list in 54 countries as of 20 May 2022. The series also topped the publication's Trending TV chart for over five weeks, judging by the 1.3million Twitter engagements. The show appeared in the Top 10 list in three countries where same-sex relations are illegal (Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Sri Lanka).


title: Heartstopper (TV series)

text: The series received critical acclaim. The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported a "Certified Fresh" 100% approval rating with an average rating of 8.7/10, based on 55 critic reviews. The website's critical consensus reads: "An inclusive romance told with striking sensitivity, "Heartstopper" is so effortlessly charming that viewers won't dare skip a beat." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 85 out of 100 based on nine critics, indicating "universal acclaim".


title: Heartstopper (TV series)

text: Reviewing the series for "The Guardian", Rebecca Nicholson gave a rating of 4/5 and said, ""Heartstopper" may not quite live up to the dramatic promise of its title, but this adorable teen romance is a heartwarmer, at the very least." Saloni Gajjar of "The A.V. Club" gave the series an A− and said "Thankfully, "Heartstopper" subverts notions by keeping its protagonist proudly gay: It's the love interest who has to sort through his unexpected feelings, not the other way around. Nick's attraction to Charlie catches him by surprise (but not disdain)." "Digital Spy" David Opie gave a rating of 5/5 and said, ""Heartstopper" centres queer love, affirming the feelings of young people watching who might be unsure or afraid to speak their truth." Jonathan Wilson of "Ready Steady Cut" gave a rating of 4/5 and stated, ""Heartstopper" might lack some edge and feel as if it's speaking to a younger demographic than the usual teen drama, but its deeply uplifting portrait of young love is very difficult not to get swept up in." For "Paste Magazine", Emily Maskell gave a rating of 8.8/10 and said, "An open-armed embrace for queer youth, "Heartstopper" lays the strong foundations of what you can only hope will be the uplifting and inclusive depictions of queer characters for the next generation of viewers." Ezelle Alblas for "The Upcoming" gave a 5/5 rating and said, ""Heartstopper" feels like a show everyone needs to see. It's sweet without the cheese and quietly radical without the shock factor of shows like "Sex Education", "Euphoria" or "It's a Sin"."


title: Heartstopper (TV series)

text: "Heartstopper" was ranked the best show of 2022 by "NME" and "The Mary Sue". Meanwhile, "Entertainment.ie" placed it at number four, "TVLine" at number eight, "Decider" at number nine, and "PopBuzz" at number 10, while "The Austin Chronicle" and "Lifehacker" included it in their respective unranked list. In addition, "Collider" named it one of the best new TV shows of 2022.


title: Heartstopper (TV series)

text: Following the release of the series, the first volume of Oseman's "Heartstopper" graphic novel became the top-selling children's bestseller in the UK. Songs featured in the series received large increases in chart sales and streams. Songs on the soundtrack that received a surge in chart sales when compared to the previous week included "Want Me" and "Dover Beach" by Baby Queen, "Why Am I Like This" by Orla Gartland, and "I Belong In Your Arms" by Chairlift.


title: Anupam Kher

text: Anupam Kher (born 7 March 1955) is an Indian actor, in a long career featuring in 532 films, predominantly in Hindi cinema, and many plays. He has also starred in many international films and in other Indian languages films, Kher is considered one of the most versatile film actors of India. He has played variety of characters including numerous critically acclaimed leading or parallel roles. Kher was also Chairman of Film and Television Institute of India. His accolades include two National Film Awards and eight Filmfare Awards. The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri in 2004 and the Padma Bhushan in 2016 for his contribution in the field of Indian cinema and arts.


title: Anupam Kher

text: Besides working in Hindi films, he has also appeared in international films such as the Golden Globe nominated "Bend It Like Beckham" (2002), Ang Lee's Golden Lion–winning "Lust, Caution" (2007), David O. Russell's Oscar-winning "Silver Linings Playbook" (2012) and Anthony Maras' "Hotel Mumbai" (2019). He received a BAFTA nomination for his supporting role in the British television sitcom "The Boy with the Topknot" (2018).


title: Anupam Kher

text: He has previously served as the Chairman of the Central Board of Film Certification and the National School of Drama in India.


title: Anupam Kher

text: Kher was appointed Chairman of the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in October 2017. His appointment was controversial, given his support for the Bharatiya Janata Party A year later, he resigned as the chairman of the FTII, citing his work commitments for the American TV show "New Amsterdam".


title: Anupam Kher

text: He recently won Best Actor's award at New York City International Film Festival for his Short Film Happy Birthday.


title: Anupam Kher

text: Kher was born on 7 March 1955 in a Kashmiri Pandit family in Shimla. His father, Pushkar Nath Kher was a clerk in the forest department of Himachal Pradesh and his mother, Dulari Kher was a housewife. He was educated at D. A. V. School in Shimla. He studied economics at Government College, Sanjauli at the Himachal Pradesh University in Shimla, but dropped out to study Indian theatre at Panjab University, Chandigarh.


title: Anupam Kher

text: In 1978, Kher graduated from the National School of Drama (NSD) in New Delhi. Some of his early roles were in plays performed at the Himachal Pradesh University. He taught drama in Raj Bisaria's Bharatendu Natya Akademi in Lucknow for a small part in his directorial debut movie "Sheeshay ka Ghar".


title: Anupam Kher

text: In his struggling days as an actor in Bombay (present-day Mumbai), he slept on a railway platform for a month.


title: Anupam Kher

text: In 1984, Kher made his acting debut in Bollywood with the Mahesh Bhatt-directed drama film "Saaransh", in which he portrayed a 65-year-old retired middle class teacher who loses his son. The film was a moderate box office success though Kher's performance earned him widespread praise. He won a number of awards for his portrayal of the elderly father, including the Filmfare Award for Best Actor. Kher said that he lost his hair at a young age, and thus, his first role was playing a 65-year-old at the age of 29.


title: Anupam Kher

text: From 1985 to 1988, he continued to work in several other projects. All of them were moderately successful, and his performance in that film was not well received. However, Kher's performance as Shyam Lal, a man whose daughter is forced to dance to make money for him, in N. Chandra's action thriller "Tezaab" (1988), which was the top-grossing film of the year and co-starred Anil Kapoor and Madhuri Dixit, was highly appreciated. Later in 1988, his performance in the poorly-received "Vijay" was praised too, winning him a Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor.


title: Anupam Kher

text: Kher's career improved in 1989, when he received wider recognition for his performances in "Ram Lakhan", a thriller by Subhash Ghai, and "Daddy", a television film that reunited him with Bhatt. The former co-starred an ensemble cast including Anil Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit, Jackie Shroff, Dimple Kapadia, Raakhee, Satish Kaushik, Amrish Puri and Paresh Rawal, and featured Kher in the supporting part of Deodhar Shastri, a man who disapproves his daughter's marriage with her childhood friend who is also her love interest. "Ram Lakhan" proved to be the second highest-grossing Bollywood film of the year with a gross of over worldwide. The latter earned him universal acclaim, with several critics calling it his best performance at that point. Both "Daddy" and "Ram Lakhan" earned Kher several awards; for the former, he won a National Film Award – Special Mention and a Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance; and for the latter, he garnered his first Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Comic Role (shared with Kaushik), also known as the Filmfare Award for Best Comedian.


title: Anupam Kher

text: Later in 1989, Kher starred in a sequel to the 1986 fantasy film "Nagina", entitled "". Co-starring alongside Sridevi and Sunny Deol, he portrayed a snake charmer named Gorakh Nath. It did not perform well at the box office. He then appeared in a cameo for Yash Chopra's love triangle "Chandni", and portrayed a police inspector in Vidhu Vinod Chopra's action film "Parinda" alongside Anil Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit, Jackie Shroff and Nana Patekar. Despite received a poor opening, "Parinda" was a critical and commercial success. Kher's final film of the year was Pankaj Parashar's slapstick comedy "ChaalBaaz" alongside Sridevi, Deol, and Rajinikanth. Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics, "ChaalBaaz" emerged as an economic success.


title: Anupam Kher

text: Kher has also played a variety of roles. For his role in "Daddy" (1989), he received the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Performance.


title: Anupam Kher

text: In 1990, Kher portrayed the antagonistic role of Hazari Prasad, a miser who tries to find a rich woman to marry his poor son, in Indra Kumar's directorial debut—the romance "Dil", co-starring Aamir Khan and Madhuri Dixit. "Dil" received positive reviews from critics, and Kher's performance was praised. With domestic revenues of over , "Dil" was the highest-grossing Bollywood film of the year, and Kher received a Best Supporting Actor nomination at Filmfare for his work.


title: Anupam Kher

text: In 1991, Kher once again received acclaim for his work in Yash Chopra's romantic drama "Lamhe", which starred Sridevi and Anil Kapoor and featured him as Kapoor's childhood friend. "Lamhe" was a box office failure in India, but was an overseas success. Despite the film's poor performance at the box office, Kher won his second Filmfare Best Comedian Award for his performance.


title: Anupam Kher

text: The following year, Kher collaborated with Anil Kapoor for the fifth time (alongside Madhuri Dixit and Aruna Irani) in Indra Kumar's drama "Beta" (1992), the top-grossing Bollywood production of the year with a worldwide gross of . His comical performance in the film earned him another nomination for the Filmfare Award for Best Comedian. Later that year, he portrayed Dixit's uncle in the drama "Khel", which earned him a third and a second consecutive Filmfare Best Comedian Award.


title: Anupam Kher

text: Kher next reunited with Yash Chopra for the romantic thriller "Darr" (1993), co-starring Shah Rukh Khan, Juhi Chawla, and Sunny Deol, in which he starred as Chawla's brother. One of the top-grossing Hindi films of the year, it earned over worldwide, and garnered Kher a fourth and a third consecutive Best Comedian at Filmfare. In addition to other awards, it won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment.


title: Anupam Kher

text: In 1994, Kher portrayed the owner of a factory in Raj Kanwar's thriller "Laadla" alongside Sridevi, Anil Kapoor, Aruna Irani, Raveena Tandon and Farida Jalal. It received mixed reviews from critics, though became commercially successful, and grossed over worldwide. Greater success came to Kher later that year when he starred alongside Salman Khan and Madhuri Dixit in Sooraj R. Barjatya's romance "Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!", which became the highest-grossing Bollywood film at that point, with global revenues of over . He eventually earned another Best Supporting Actor nomination at Filmfare, and the film proved his second consecutive movie to win the National Film Award for Best Popular Film.


title: Anupam Kher

text: Kher's only release in 1995 was Aditya Chopra's romantic drama "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge", starring Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol, about two non-residential Indians who fall in love during a trip across Europe. Kher's work as Dharamvir, the father of Khan's character, fetched him a fifth Filmfare Best Comedian Award. "Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge" emerged as his second consecutive film to earn over worldwide, becoming a blockbuster just like "Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!", and third consecutive film to win the National Film Award for Best Popular Film. His next two films were the box office flops "Chaahat" (1996) and "Gudgudee" (1997). In both these films, Kher's performance was not well received.


title: Anupam Kher

text: He next starred alongside Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Rani Mukerji, and Archana Puran Singh in Karan Johar's romance "Kuch Kuch Hota Hai" (1998). In this film, Kher played the comic role of Mr. Malhotra, a college principal. It was the top-grossing film of the year, with a worldwide gross of over , to become Kher's third blockbuster success in the last four years, and garnered him another Best Comedian nomination at Filmfare.


title: Anupam Kher

text: In 1999, Kher played the father of Anil Kapoor's character in Satish Kaushik's women-centric drama "Hum Aapke Dil Mein Rehte Hain", that received positive reviews from critics and was a commercial success. He then teamed with David Dhawan for the comedy-drama "Haseena Maan Jaayegi" starring Sanjay Dutt, Govinda and Karisma Kapoor. Both these films were major commercial successes and among the highest-grossing Bollywood films of 1999, with the latter earning over . He was awarded the best actor at New York city International Film Festival for his Performance in a short film titled "Happy Birthday".


title: Anupam Kher

text: He played the role of the Police Commissioner, Rathor, in the critically and commercially acclaimed film, "A Wednesday".


title: Anupam Kher

text: Kher is known internationally for "Bend It Like Beckham" (2002), "Bride and Prejudice" (2004), "The Mistress of Spices" (2006) and "Lust, Caution" (2007), "Speedy Singhs" (2011), and TV show "ER". In 2012, he co-starred in the Academy Award-winning "Silver Linings Playbook".


title: Anupam Kher

text: In 2007, Anupam Kher and Satish Kaushik, who studied together at NSD, started a film production company, Karol Bagh Productions. Their first film, "Tere Sang", was directed by Satish Kaushik. In 2011, he starred alongside Mohanlal and Jaya Prada in the Malayalam language romantic drama "Pranayam". Kher chose "Pranayam" as one of the seven best films of his career. He also starred in a number of Marathi films such as "Thoda Tuza...Thoda Maza", "Kashala Udyachi Baat," and Punjabi films such as "Yaaran Naal Baharan".


title: Anupam Kher

text: In 2009, Kher voiced Carl Fredricksen in the Hindi-dubbed version of the Disney-Pixar animated film "Up". Anupam Kher has also appeared in "The Dirty Politics". The movie also features Om Puri and Jackie Shroff Kher has appeared in several films of director Neeraj Pandey, has played pivotal roles in "Special 26" (2013), "Baby" (2015) and (2016), for which he won Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor. In 2014, Kher starred in the British film "Shongram", a fictional romantic drama set during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.


title: Anupam Kher

text: In 2019, Kher starred as the former Indian Prime minister Manmohan Singh in the political, biographical drama film "The Accidental Prime Minister." In 2022, Kher starred in the Vivek Agnihotri's controversial "The Kashmir Files" along with Mithun Chakraborty, which is based on Kashmiri Pandits' genocide in 1990, the film went to become a huge box office success. Kher's performance was generally praised by the film critics.


title: Anupam Kher

text: He hosted TV shows such as "Say Na Something To Anupam Uncle", "Sawaal Dus Crore Ka", "Lead India," and "The Anupam Kher Show - Kucch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai".


title: Anupam Kher

text: He ventured into directing with "Om Jai Jagadish" (2002) and has been a producer. He produced and starred in the film "Maine Gandhi Ko Nahin Mara" (2005). He received the Best Actor Award from the Karachi International Film Festival for his performance.


title: Anupam Kher

text: In 2011 Kher released his first book "The Best Thing About You is You!", which was a best-seller. His biography "Lessons Life Taught Me Unknowingly" was published on 5 August 2019 by Penguin Random House. In 2020, he wrote "Your Best Day Is Today!", based on his experiences of COVID-19 crisis. Remembering his father on his 9th Death Anniversary, he presented a poem written by Lucknow based Poet Pankaj Prasun and posted it on social media.


title: Anupam Kher

text: Kher has written and starred in a play about his own life called "Kucch Bhi Ho Sakta Hai", which was directed by Feroz Abbas Khan.


title: Anupam Kher

text: In 2016, Anupam Kher was a narrator in the ABP News documentary TV series "Bharatvarsh", which showcased the journey from ancient India to the 19th century.


title: Anupam Kher

text: Starting in fall of 2018, Anupam Kher starred in a new NBC medical drama TV series "New Amsterdam" as Dr. Vijay Kapoor (a neurologist). He also appeared as Shahbaz Karim in the BBC1 drama "Mrs Wilson".


title: Anupam Kher

text: In 1985, he married actress Kirron Kher who is a Member of parliament from Chandigarh, belonging to the Bharatiya Janata Party. Her son, his stepson, is actor Sikandar Kher. In 2010, he was appointed as the goodwill ambassador of the Pratham Education Foundation, which strives to improve children's education in India. Kher is an ardent supporter of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Indian Prime minister Narendra Modi.


title: Anupam Kher

text: On 20 September 2021, Kher was awarded an honorary doctorate degree in Philosophy of Hindu Studies by the Hindu University of America.


title: Anupam Kher

text: In 2017, Kher was accused of threatening to ruin the career of Rita Koiral, a Bengali actress, to cover up a voice acting controversy involving his actor wife, Kirron Kher.


title: Anupam Kher

text: In January 2020, he was involved in a verbal spat with actor Naseeruddin Shah and called him frustrated and a drug addict after the latter called him a clown and a sycophant.


title: Guinness World Records

text: Guinness World Records, known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as The Guinness Book of Records and in previous United States editions as The Guinness Book of World Records, is a reference book published annually, listing world records both of human achievements and the extremes of the natural world. The brainchild of Sir Hugh Beaver, the book was co-founded by twin brothers Norris and Ross McWhirter in Fleet Street, London, in August 1955.


title: Guinness World Records

text: The first edition topped the best-seller list in the United Kingdom by Christmas 1955. The following year the book was launched internationally, and as of the 2022 edition, it is now in its 67th year of publication, published in 100 countries and 23 languages, and maintains over 53,000 records in its database.


title: Guinness World Records

text: The international franchise has extended beyond print to include television series and museums. The popularity of the franchise has resulted in "Guinness World Records" becoming the primary international authority on the cataloguing and verification of a huge number of world records. The organisation employs record adjudicators to verify the authenticity of the setting and breaking of records. Following a series of owners, the franchise has been owned by the Jim Pattison Group since 2008, with its headquarters moved to South Quay Plaza, Canary Wharf, London in 2017. Since 2008, "Guinness World Records" has orientated its business model toward inventing new world records as publicity stunts for companies and individuals, which has attracted criticism.


title: Guinness World Records

text: On 10 November 1951, Sir Hugh Beaver, then the managing director of the Guinness Breweries, went on a shooting party in the North Slob, by the River Slaney in County Wexford, Ireland. After missing a shot at a golden plover, he became involved in an argument over which was the fastest game bird in Europe, the golden plover or the red grouse (it is the plover). That evening at Castlebridge House, he realised that it was impossible to confirm in reference books whether or not the golden plover was Europe's fastest game bird. Beaver knew that there must have been numerous other questions debated nightly among the public, but there was no book in the world with which to settle arguments about records. He realised then that a book supplying the answers to this sort of question might prove successful. Beaver's idea became reality when Guinness employee Christopher Chataway recommended university friends Norris and Ross McWhirter, who had been running a fact-finding agency in London. The twin brothers were commissioned to compile what became "The Guinness Book of (Superlatives and now) Records," in August 1954. A thousand copies were printed and given away.


title: Guinness World Records

text: After the founding of "The Guinness Book of Records" office at the top of Ludgate House, 107 Fleet Street, London, the first 198-page edition was bound on 27 August 1955 and went to the top of the British best-seller list by Christmas. The following year, it was introduced into the United States by New York publisher David Boehm and sold 70,000 copies. Since then, "Guinness World Records" has sold more than 100 million copies in 100 countries and 37 languages.


title: Guinness World Records

text: Because the book became a surprise hit, many further editions were printed, eventually settling into a pattern of one revision a year, published in September/October, in time for Christmas. The McWhirters continued to compile it for many years. Both brothers had an encyclopedic memory; on the BBC television series "Record Breakers", based upon the book, they would take questions posed by children in the audience on various world records and were able to give the correct answer. Ross McWhirter was assassinated by two members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army in 1975 for offering a £50,000 reward for their capture. Following Ross's assassination, the feature in the show where questions about records posed by children were answered was called "Norris on the Spot". Norris carried on as the book's sole editor.


title: Guinness World Records

text: Guinness Superlatives, later Guinness World Records Limited, was formed in 1954 to publish the first book. Sterling Publishing owned the rights to the "Guinness" book in the US for decades until it was repurchased by Guinness in 1989 after an 18-month long lawsuit. The group was owned by Guinness PLC and subsequently Diageo until 2001, when it was purchased by Gullane Entertainment for $65 million. Gullane was itself purchased by HIT Entertainment in 2002. In 2006, Apax Partners purchased HIT and subsequently sold Guinness World Records in early 2008 to the Jim Pattison Group, the parent company of Ripley Entertainment, which is licensed to operate Guinness World Records' Attractions. With offices in New York City and Tokyo, Guinness World Records' global headquarters remain in London, specifically South Quay Plaza, Canary Wharf, while its museum attractions are based at Ripley headquarters in Orlando, Florida, US.


title: Guinness World Records

text: Recent editions have focused on record feats by individuals. Competitions range from obvious ones such as Olympic weightlifting to the longest egg tossing distances, or for longest time spent playing "Grand Theft Auto IV" or the number of hot dogs that can be consumed in three minutes. Besides records about competitions, it contains such facts such as the heaviest tumour, the most poisonous fungus, the longest-running soap opera and the most valuable life-insurance policy, among others. Many records also relate to the youngest people to have achieved something, such as the youngest person to visit all nations of the world, currently held by Maurizio Giuliano.


title: Guinness World Records

text: Each edition contains a selection of the records from the Guinness World Records database, as well as select new records, with the criteria for inclusion changing from year to year.


title: Guinness World Records

text: The retirement of Norris McWhirter from his consulting role in 1995 and the subsequent decision by Diageo Plc to sell The Guinness Book of Records brand have shifted the focus of the books from text-oriented to illustrated reference. A selection of records are curated for the book from the full archive but all existing Guinness World Records titles can be accessed by creating a login on the company's website. Applications made by individuals for existing record categories are free of charge. There is an administration fee of $5 to propose a new record title.


title: Guinness World Records

text: "Guinness World Records" bestowed the record of "Person with the most records" on Ashrita Furman of Queens, NY, in April 2009; at that time, he held 100 records, while he currently holds over 220.


title: Guinness World Records

text: In 2005, Guinness designated 9 November as "International Guinness World Records Day" to encourage breaking of world records. In 2006, an estimated 100,000 people participated in over 10 countries. Guinness reported 2,244 new records in 12 months, which was a 173% increase over the previous year. In February 2008, NBC aired "The Top 100 Guinness World Records of All Time" and Guinness World Records made the complete list available on their website.


title: Guinness World Records

text: For many records, "Guinness World Records" is the effective authority on the exact requirements for them and with whom records reside, the company providing adjudicators to events to determine the veracity of record attempts. The list of records which the "Guinness World Records" covers is not fixed, records may be added and also removed for various reasons. The public is invited to submit applications for records, which can be either the bettering of existing records or substantial achievements which could constitute a new record. The company also provides corporate services for companies to "harness the power of record-breaking to deliver tangible success for their businesses."


title: Guinness World Records

text: "Guinness World Records" states several types of records it will not accept for ethical reasons, such as those related to the killing or harming of animals.


title: Guinness World Records

text: Several world records that were once included in the book have been removed for ethical reasons, including concerns for the well-being of potential record breakers. For example, following publication of the "heaviest fish" record, many fish owners overfed their pets beyond the bounds of what was healthy, and therefore such entries were removed. The Guinness Book also dropped records within their "eating and drinking records" section of Human Achievements in 1991 over concerns that potential competitors could harm themselves and expose the publisher to potential litigation. These changes included the removal of all spirit, wine and beer drinking records, along with other unusual records for consuming such unlikely things as bicycles and trees. Other records, such as sword swallowing and rally driving (on public roads), were closed from further entry as the current holders had performed beyond what are considered safe human tolerance levels.


title: Guinness World Records

text: There have been instances of closed categories being reopened. For example, the sword swallowing category was listed as closed in the 1990 "Guinness Book of World Records", but has since been reopened with Johnny Strange breaking a sword swallowing record on Guinness World Records Live. Similarly, the speed beer drinking records which were dropped from the book in 1991, reappeared 17 years later in the 2008 edition, but were moved from the "Human Achievements" section of the older book to the "Modern Society" section of the newer edition.


title: Guinness World Records

text: , it is required in the guidelines of all "large food" type records that the item be fully edible, and distributed to the public for consumption, to prevent food wastage.


title: Guinness World Records

text: Chain letters are also not allowed: "Guinness World Records does not accept any records relating to chain letters, sent by post or e-mail."


title: Guinness World Records

text: At the request of the U.S. Mint, in 1984, the book stopped accepting claims of large hoardings of pennies or other currency.


title: Guinness World Records

text: Environmentally unfriendly records (such as the releasing of sky lanterns and party balloons) are no longer accepted or monitored, in addition to records relating to tobacco or cannabis consumption or preparation.


title: Guinness World Records

text: For some potential categories, "Guinness World Records" has declined to list some records that are too difficult or impossible to determine. For example, its website states: "We do not accept any claims for beauty as it is not objectively measurable."


title: Guinness World Records

text: However, other categories of human skill relating to measurable speed such as "Worlds Fastest Clapper" were instated. On 27 July 2010, Connor May (NSW, Australia) set the record for claps, with 743 in 1 minute.


title: Guinness World Records

text: On 10 December 2010, "Guinness World Records" stopped accepting submissions for the "dreadlock" category after investigation of its first and only female title holder, Asha Mandela, determining it was impossible to judge this record accurately.