Knowledge Tree
lunar phases
Also known as: lunar phases, moon phases
Facts (30)
Sources
Lunar effect - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org 24 facts
measurementA 2009 study analyzing over 23,000 aggravated assaults in Germany between 1999 and 2005 found no correlation between lunar phases and assault frequency.
referenceI. W. Kelly and R. Martens published 'Geophysical Variables and Behavior: LXXVIII. Lunar Phase and Birthrate: An Update' in 1994, providing an update on the research regarding lunar phases and birthrates.
claimIn orange-spotted spinefoot fish, lunar phases affect the levels of melatonin in the blood.
measurementAn analysis of 3,706 spontaneous births in 1994 showed no correlation between birth rate and lunar phase.
claimMultiple studies have found no connection between human birth rates and lunar phases.
claimA study has found contradictory results regarding the relationship between stock market returns and lunar phases, questioning previous claims of a correlation.
referenceRené Gordon Holzheimer, C. Nitz, and U. Gresser published 'Lunar phase does not influence surgical quality' in 2003, concluding that the lunar phase has no influence on surgical quality.
referenceSallie Baxendale and Jennifer Fisher published a study in 2008 titled 'Moonstruck? The effect of the lunar cycle on seizures' in the journal Epilepsy & Behavior, which investigates the relationship between lunar phases and seizure occurrence.
measurementThe distribution of 167,956 spontaneous vaginal deliveries at 37 to 40 weeks gestation in Phoenix, Arizona, between 1995 and 2000 showed no relationship with lunar phase.
claimA research team in Barcelona, Spain, reported a weak correlation between lunar phases and hospital admissions for gastrointestinal bleeding when comparing full moon days to all other days combined.
claimA review of 21 studies from seven different countries showed that the majority of studies reported no relationship to lunar phase, and that the positive studies were inconsistent with each other.
referenceG. D. Linley, Y. Pauligk, C. Marneweck, and E. G. Ritchie published research on the moon phase and nocturnal activity of native Australian mammals in Australian Mammalogy in 2021.
measurementRecords of 11,961 live births and 8,142 natural births at the UCLA hospital between 1974 and 1978 showed no correlation with the cycle of lunar phases.
referenceA 2009 population-based study by Teresa Biermann et al. titled 'Relationship between lunar phases and serious crimes of battery: a population-based study' was published in Comprehensive Psychiatry, examining the correlation between lunar phases and serious battery crimes.
referenceDan Caton published 'Natality and the Moon Revisited: Do Birth Rates Depend on the Phase of the Moon?' in 2001, re-examining the relationship between birth rates and lunar phases.
claimA 1978 review of the literature concluded that lunar phases and human behavior are not related.
referenceThe study 'Fear of Darkness, the Full Moon and the Nocturnal Ecology of African Lions' examines the relationship between lunar phases and the behavior of African lions.
claimA review of twenty studies examining correlations between Moon phase and suicides found that most studies reported no correlation, and those that did report positive results were inconsistent with each other.
claimA 2014 study with larger sample sizes (n1=366, n2=29, n3=870) and better experimental controls found no effect of the lunar phase on sleep quality metrics.
claimThe statistical significance of the Barcelona team's findings regarding lunar phases and hospital admissions disappears when comparing full moon days to specific other days in the lunar cycle (days 9, 12, 13, or 27).
claimA review of six additional studies from five different countries showed no evidence of a relationship between birth rate and lunar phase.
measurementAn analysis of 6,725 deliveries in Hannover between 2000 and 2006 revealed no significant correlation of birth rate to lunar phases.
measurementA 2001 analysis of 70,000,000 birth records from the National Center for Health Statistics revealed no correlation between birth rate and lunar phase.
referenceKathy Zhichao Yuan, Lu Zheng, and Qiaoqiao Zhu published a study in 2006 titled 'Are investors moonstruck? Lunar phases and stock returns' in the Journal of Empirical Finance, which examines the relationship between lunar phases and stock market returns.
The lunar cycle: effects on human and animal behavior and physiology pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov 2 facts
claimHospital and emergency unit admissions for cardiovascular events, acute coronary events, variceal hemorrhage, diarrhea, and urinary retention have been observed to correlate with moon phases.
claimMice exhibit cyclic variations in the magnitude of their humoral immune response to polyvinylpyrrolidone and sheep erythrocytes that relate to the moon's phases.
Moon phase and fish behavior - North Carolina Sea Grant ncseagrant.ncsu.edu Jan 27, 2025 1 fact
claimAcoustic data revealed species-specific movement patterns based on moon phase, particularly in ray species.
The Lunar Clock Beneath the Waves: How Marine Life Runs on ... bioneers.org Jul 16, 2025 1 fact
claimClunio marinus gnats evolved the ability to detect lunar phases to predict tidal flows, allowing them to lay eggs during extremely low tides for safety.
How the Full Moon Affects the Behavior of Animals ruhighlander.org May 2, 2024 1 fact
accountAustin Price observed that his pet ferrets exhibited heightened behavioral activity during full moon phases.
How Lunar Cycles Guide the Spawning of Sea Creatures smithsonianmag.com Mar 8, 2023 1 fact
quoteEva Wolf, a structural biologist at IMB Mainz and Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, stated: “I find it very exciting that we could describe a protein that can measure moon phases.”