Influence Of Moon Phase Research Articles

Unearth the Facts and Fiction of “The Influence of Moon Phases on Living Beings”

The moon, Earth's most constant companion, it is a satellite of our planet. Being the closest cosmic body to Earth, the moon has given rise to numerous myths worldwide throughout the years. The lunar phases are a result of the moon orbiting Earth while Earth orbit the sun. Everything is in motion. Essentially, what we observe from Earth is different parts of the moon being illuminated by the sun as the moon follows its orbit. The relationship between Earth and the Moon is characterized by mutual gravitational attraction and interdependence. The moon significantly influences various aspects of Earth's environment and behavior. While human biology has often been disregarded as a myth, recent studies have suggested a connection between lunar phases and human behavior. Some researchers propose that humans may be responding to subtle changes in Earth's magnetic field that concur with the moon's phases. Today, the moon continues to hold many fascinating mysteries for scientists to investigate. This article aims to uncover the facts and myths surrounding the impact of Lunar phases on humans on Earth.

Ocelots in the moonlight: Influence of lunar phase on habitat selection and movement of two sympatric felids.

Various landscape and environmental factors influence animal movement and habitat selection. Lunar illumination affects nocturnal visual perception of many species and, consequently, may influence animal activity and habitat selection. However, the effects of varying moon stage may differ across taxa. Prey species often reduce activity during highly visible periods of night while predators may increase activity or alter their habitat use. Ocelots (Leopardus pardalis) and bobcats (Lynx rufus), two nocturnal predatory felids that coexist in southern Texas, may also alter their behavior in response to the phase of the moon. To evaluate the effects of lunar phase on habitat selection of ocelots and bobcats, we executed a step selection analysis using high-frequency GPS-telemetry data collected on each species (ocelot, N = 8; bobcat, N = 13) in southern Texas during 2017-2021 and compared step length during new versus full moons. We predicted that ocelots would increase use of dense thornshrub to reduce their visibility during a full moon. However, as bobcats are habitat generalists and are more active during crepuscular periods, we predicted less influence of moon phase on activity. Ocelots did not alter habitat selection in response to lunar phase but moved shorter distances during full moon phases. Conversely, bobcats selected for greater vegetation cover during full moons, possibly to facilitate hunting during brighter periods, but exhibited no difference in movement across lunar phase. We provide, to our knowledge, the first example of habitat selection by predators in relation to lunar phase and show differences across new versus full moons by ocelots and bobcats such that ocelots alter step length but not habitat selection while bobcats altered habitat selection but not step length in response to shifting lunar phase. Further, we suggest the high potential for ocelot-vehicle collisions on darker nights due to increased movement by ocelots and poor visibility for drivers.

Moonlight surgery: no influence of moon phase or Friday 13th on outcomes of total knee arthroplasty.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate associations between revision-free survival and functional scores of total knee arthroplasty (TKA) and moon phase on the day of surgery, as well as operations performed on a Friday 13th. The data of all patients that received TKA between 2003 and 2019 were extracted from the Tyrol arthroplasty registry. Patients that had undergone previous total or partial knee arthroplasty as well as patients that had missing pre- or post-operative WOMAC were excluded. Patients were allocated to one of the following four groups according to moon phase on the day of surgery: new, waxing, full and waning. Patients operated on a Friday 13th were also identified and compared to patients operated on any other days/dates. A total of 5923 patients met the inclusion criteria, with mean age of 69 ± 9years, and comprising 62% women. There were no significant differences in revision-free survival among the four moon phase groups (p = 0.479), and no significant differences in preoperative and postoperative total WOMAC (p = 0.260, p = 0.122), There were no significant differences in revision-free survival patients operated on Friday 13th vs. other days/dates (p = 0.440). The preoperative total WOMAC was significantly worse for patients operated on a Friday 13th (p = 0.013), which was observed in the pain (p = 0.032) and function (p = 0.010) subscales. There were no significant differences in postoperative total WOMAC at 1year follow-up (p = 0.122). Neither moon phase on the day of surgery nor Friday 13th were associated with revision-free survival or clinical scores of TKA. Patients operated on a Friday 13th had significantly worse preoperative total WOMAC but similar postoperative total WOMAC at 1-year follow-up. These findings could help reassure patients that TKA renders consistent outcomes regardless of the preoperative pain or function, and in spite of bad omens or moon phases.

Home ranges, directionality and the influence of moon phases on the movement ecology of Indian flying fox males in southern India.

Flying foxes of the genus Pteropus are amongst the largest fruit bats and potential long-range pollinators and seed dispersers in the paleotropics. Pteropus giganteus (currently P. medius) is the only flying fox that is distributed throughout the Indian mainland, including in urban and rural areas. Using GPS telemetry, we mapped the home ranges and examined flight patterns in P. giganteus males across moon phases in a semi-urban landscape in southern India. Home range differed between the tracked males (n=4), likely due to differences in their experience in the landscape. We found that nightly time spent outside the roost, distance commuted and the number of sites visited by tracked individuals did not differ significantly between moon phases. In 61% of total tracked nights across bats, the first foraging site was within 45˚ of the emergence direction. At the colony-level, scan-based observations showed emergence flights were mostly in the northeast (27%), west (22%) and southwest (19%) directions that could potentially be related to the distribution of foraging resources. The movement ecology of fruit bats in relation to the pollination and seed dispersal services they provide requires to be investigated in future studies. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.

First person – Baheerathan Murugavel

ABSTRACT First Person is a series of interviews with the first authors of a selection of papers published in Biology Open, helping researchers promote themselves alongside their papers. Baheerathan Murugavel is first author on ‘ Home ranges, directionality and the influence of moon phases on the movement ecology of Indian flying fox males in southern India’, published in BiO. Baheerathan is a PhD Student in the lab of Professor Hema Somanathan at School of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram, Vithura, India, investigating the behaviour, sensory, and movement ecology of bats.

The Influence of Moon Phases on the Frequency of Admissions to a Psychiatric Hospital

The influence of the moon phase on persons with mental disorders and the frequency of emergency and urgent admissions to the mental hospital in the city of Penza and Penza oblast (Russia) in 2018–2019 has been investigated. The frequency of hospital admissions is estimated among persons with severe mental disorders (with pronounced psychotic and pronounced affective and behavioral manifestations) during the periods of different moon phases: the full moon, new moon, first quarter, and last quarter. According to the results of the study, it has been found that the frequency of admissions did not differ significantly in the different moon phases (p = 0.4382), which agrees with the data of similar international studies.

Pengaruh umur bulan terhadap hasil tangkapan dengan jaring insang hanyut (Soma Landra) (Effect of moon phase on catches of drift gill net (Soma Landra))

Soma landra is classified as drift gillnet which rectangular shaped and it equipped with floats, head rope, buoy rope, towing rope and sign buoy. In operation, it is installed in a position to cut the current direction with the intention of blocking the fish motion. The influence of moon phase is one of the factors that is closely related to fish behavior, where one of them is interested in light. Besides the brightness of the moonlight can be affected to the efficiency of capture. Therefore, the aims of this study were determined the effect of moon phase on catches and determined the catches at each moon phase. Randomized Block Design (RBD) was used in this study. The analyzed indicated that difference or reject Ho, means there are differences in catches in each moon phase. The species of fish caught is flying fish in the local language known as Marluga (Cypsilirusolegoleptis) as a target fishes with a total catch of 364.On the full moon as many as 106 (29.12%), the final perennial of 57 (15.66%), the dark moon of 79 (21.70%) and the initial peraniage of 122 fishes (33.52%).

Nocturnal behavior by a diurnal ape, the West African chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes verus), in a savanna environment at Fongoli, Senegal.

I report on the nocturnal behavior of Fongoli chimpanzees in a savanna mosaic during different seasons and lunar phases and test the hypothesis that hot daytime temperatures influence activity at night. I predicted that apes would be more active at night during periods of greater lunar illuminosity given diurnal primates' lack of visual specializations for low-light conditions and in dry season months when water scarcity exacerbated heat stress. I observed chimpanzees for 403 hrs on 40 nights between 2007 and 2013 and categorized their activity as social, movement, or vocalization. I scored their activity as occurring after moonrise or before moonset and considered the influence of moon phase (fuller versus darker phases) as well as season on chimpanzee nocturnal behavior in the analyses. Results indicate that apes were more active after moonrise or before moonset during fuller moon phases in the dry season but not the wet season. Most night-time activity involved movement (travel or forage), followed by social behavior, and long-distance vocal communication. Animals in highly seasonal habitats often exhibit thermoregulatory adaptations but, like other primates, chimpanzees lack physiological mechanisms to combat thermal stress. This study provides evidence that they may exhibit behaviors that allow them to avoid high temperatures in a savanna environment, such as feeding and socializing at night during the hottest time of year and in the brightest moon phases. The results support theories invoking thermal stress as a selective pressure for hominins in open environments where heat would constrain temporal foraging niches, and suggest an adaptability of sleeping patterns in response to external factors.

Influência das fases da lua na abundância de Larimus breviceps na zona de arrebentação da praia de Miramar-PB

The present study aimed to investigate the possible influence of moon phases on the abundance and population structure of Larimus breviceps in the surf zone of Miramar beach. The studied area was divided into two distinct area according to the proximity to the estuary. Samples were carried out weekly, during May and June 2014. Three hauls, using a beach seine net, were conducted in each area, during each lunar phase, totaling 48 hauls at the end of the sample program. Before each sample, physicochemical data were obtained from water, as salinity, temperature, pH, conductivity and turbidity. Most of individuals caught in both areas, had length classes between 2 and 8 cm and were considered juveniles. Along the area 1, highest mean weight and length were found during the first quarter and full moon. While, in area 2 occurred during the last quarter and full moon. The individuals of juvenile stage demonstrated be influenced by the moon, showing spatial change on their catch according to lunar phases. The data obtained in this study revealed that the surf zone of Miramar work as an important nursery habitat for L. breviceps. Moreover, these data could provide support for supervisions and management plans of the local fishery

Moon phase influences the diet of southern Ray's bream Brama australis

Diet composition of the southern Ray's bream Brama australis was examined from stomach contents of 399 specimens sampled by bottom trawl on Chatham Rise to the east of South Island, New Zealand, over 3 years. Prey items were predominantly mesopelagic fishes and crustaceans. Multivariate analysis indicated that moon phase explained more of the diet variability than any other predictor examined. It appears likely that diet composition is influenced by a combination of changes in both tidal flows and illumination. Different combinations of prey were consumed by B. australis at different times of the lunar cycle. An influence of moon phase on feeding by fishes has rarely been reported, but it is likely that moon phase influences the diets of other species that specialize in mesopelagic prey. The most important prey group by mass for B. australis was Myctophidae (primarily Lampanyctodes hectoris), followed by Stomiiformes (primarily Maurolicus australis) and shrimps (Sergestes spp). An ontogenetic shift in diet was observed, from numerical dominance by small crustaceans including amphipods and euphausiids (with some fishes) in smaller (mass <1045 g) B. australis to pelagic teleost prey (with a few larger crustaceans) in larger (>1440 g) B. australis.

Influence of moon phases on serum level of sodium and lithium: a quasi-experimental study on rabbits

The present research aims to study the effects of moon phases on serum sodium and lithium levels in rabbits. Twenty-four male rabbits in two separated groups (sodium and lithium groups) were studied. In each study group, there were 12 rabbits, and 40 mg/kg lithium carbonate was orally administered to rabbits in one group on a daily basis. On days 1, 5, 9, 13, 15, 17, 21, and 25 of a lunar month, blood samples were taken from all rabbits. The highest mean of serum sodium levels was observed on the first day and the lowest mean was related to the 15th lunar day. Significant difference was noted between the 1st, 5th, 13th, and 17th days of the lunar month. In the lithium group, there was also a decreasing trend from the 1st to 17th lunar day in serum lithium level, but there was no statistical difference between lithium serum levels on different days of the lunar month. Fluctuations of bodily fluids under the influence of moon phases can be an effective factor in the changes in serum sodium levels. It is probable that due to small sample size we could not find significant difference in serum lithium levels.

Factors affecting recruitment of glass eels into the Grey River, New Zealand

The arrival pattern of glass eels of the shortfin eel Anguilla australis and longfin eel Anguilla dieffenbachii was studied over a two successive migration seasons in the Grey River, South Island, New Zealand. Fishing was carried out on selected nights during September to November, for 3 h per night during 2000 and 2001. The number of shortfin glass eels exceeded longfins in both years; earliest glass eels (September) were larger than later glass eels (November), and longfins larger than shortfins, but there were significant differences in size between years for both species. Environmental variables affecting recruitment differed between years, but common variables for both years were sampling date, time after high tide (incoming tide preferred), time after sunset and moon phase; the influence of moon phase appeared to be expressed both through tides (spring tides preferred) and moonlight. During the year of higher discharge variability, both increasing discharge and increased turbidity were also important.

Influence of moon phase on acoustic estimates of the abundance of fish performing daily horizontal migration in a small oligotrophic lake

Influence of moon phase on acoustic estimates of the abundance of fish performing daily horizontal migration in a small oligotrophic lake

Moon Phase' in Behavioral Research

Although the lunation cycle (phases of the moon) has been employed in behavioral research, there is little evidence that the variable is properly understood or recorded. In reality the phases of the moon are not a property of the moon alone but rather result from the angular relationship between the sun, moon, and earth. It is argued that a suitable analysis would require that the celestial longitude of both sun and moon be recorded separately for any given event and then analyzed conjointly with respect to that event. The main effects of both the sun's and moon's position can then be assessed, and the influence of moon phase and other sun-moon relationships will emerge as statistical interactions if significant.

Influence of Moon Phase and Weather Factors on Locomotory Activity in Bufo americanus

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