Shark Side of the Moon: Are Shark Attacks Related to Lunar Phase?

Animals across taxa have shown behaviors linked to moon phase (or the proxy of lunar illumination), and marine organisms are well-documented to calibrate certain activities with the moon. Few studies have looked at a possible connection between moon phase and shark attacks on humans, and the results have been preliminary or lacking relationships. We used nearly 50 years of shark attack data from across the globe to test for a relationship between shark attacks and moon phase. We examined factors of geography, shark species, and outcome of attack. From 12 relationships that we tested (totaling 120 comparisons), we found 12 significant outcomes, of which five were positive (i.e., more attacks than expected) and seven were negative (i.e., fewer attacks than expected). Specifically, all the instances of more shark attacks than expected occurred at lunar illumination >50%, while all the instances of fewer shark attacks than expected occurred at lunar illumination of <50%. The findings presented here provide global evidence that shark attacks may be related to moon phase, and such information could be useful toward evaluating attack risk and developing recommendations for water-based recreational activities.

RELATIONSHIP OF LUNAR PHASES TO CRIMES COMMITTED IN ZAMBOANGA DEL NORTE

Human behavior appeared to be influenced by lunar phase. Crimes still committed despite the government efforts to prevent and suppress it. Some authors claimed that the moon of the solar system affect the human body and the planet earth. The term lunacy derived from the idea that the lunar cycles affect human behavior and it is a widely believed phenomenon that a full moon can increase criminal behavior. This study aimed to determine the relationship between lunar phases and crimes committed in the two cities of Dipolog and Dapitan. Documentary analysis and unstructured interviews were conducted to gather information. The data were taken from the reported crimes in the two police stations. Statistical tools used were frequency count and chi-square test of both difference and relationships respectively. The most common index crimes were theft, physical injury and threat. Whereas, non-index crimes were malicious mischief and violations to RA 7610 and RA 9262. Results revealed that most of the index crimes happened during the first quarter and during new moon phase. Non-index crimes on the other hand, happened at any lunar phase. The occurrence of index and non-index crimes are likely to be influenced by the lunar phases. Philippine National Police might set-up additional preventive measures to prevent would be criminals from committing theft, physical injury and threat. Police presence be increased more during first quarter and new moon phases to prevent occurrence of crime as well as implement intensive community policing program to protect the community from untoward crime incidence.

Lunar Periodicity in Reproduction of Senatorial Scallop (Chlamys Senatoria Gmelin, 1791) in Asid Gulf, Masbate, Philippines

In Masbate, senatorial scallop Chlamys senatoria is one of the five commercially important species of scallop present in Asid Gulf, but its basic biology is poorly understood in the Philippines. To provide biological information for future conservation and management, the reproductive rhythm of senatorial scallop in relation to lunar phase was investigated from October 2016 to March 2017. Scallops were collected daily from the fishers’ catches and were measured, dissected, and processed for histological analysis; whereas, fecundity and size of eggs (diameter) were also determined. Ecological parameter such as bottom water temperature was monitored during the sampling period. Results showed that C. senatoria is a highly fecund species, which ranges from 8.3 X 105 to 2.1 X 106 oocytes per female and its sizes (oocytes) ranges from 53.8 µm to 72.5 µm while Gonado-somatic index (GSI) ranges from 3.2 to 7.1. Fecundity, egg diameter, and the GSI decreased during new moon (NM) and full moon (FM). GSI indicates that the onset of spawning activity commences during NM and FM. Environmental parameters that were monitored showed significant variations in relation to lunar phase. Spawning of scallop C. senatoria follows a lunar reproductive pattern, which was initiated and influenced by the variations of different factors such as temperature, water amplitude, and light as the effect of lunar/tidal cycles. These findings indicate that reproduction and necessarily spawning in the scallop are related to factors associated with lunar phases. Strategies for managing the resource can be formulated using the temporal dimension of lunar phases.

Once after a full moon: acute type A aortic dissection and lunar phases

OBJECTIVES Acute type A aortic dissection (ATAAD) is a rare but severe condition, routinely treated with emergent cardiac surgery. Many surgeons have the notion that patients with ATAAD tend to come in clusters, but no studies have examined these observations. This investigation was undertaken to study the potential association between the lunar cycle and the incidence of ATAAD. METHODS We collected information on 2995 patients who underwent ATAAD surgery at centres from the Nordic Consortium for Acute Type A Aortic Dissection collaboration. We cross-referenced the time of surgery with lunar phase using a case-crossover design with 2 different definitions of full moon (>99% illumination and the 7-day full moon period). RESULTS The period when the moon was illuminated the most (99% definition) did not show any significant increase in incidence for ATAAD surgery. However, when the full moon period was compared with all other moon phases, it yielded a relative risk of 1.08 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.00–1.17, P = 0.057] and, compared to waxing moon, only the relative risk was 1.11 (95% CI 1.01–1.23, P = 0.027). The peak incidence came 4–6 days after the moon was fully illuminated. CONCLUSIONS This study found an overrepresentation of surgery for ATAAD during the full moon phase. The explanation for this is not known, but we speculate that sleep deprivation during full moon leads to a temporary increase in blood pressure, which in turn could trigger rupture of the aortic wall. While this finding is interesting, it needs to be corroborated and the clinical implications are debateable.

Lunar illumination shapes small mammal activity in lowland agricultural landscapes

The behavioural patterns of small mammalian prey species have been shown to be widely impacted by predator avoidance. Cues to avoid predation may come from the predator itself or environmental cues, such as moonlight and available vegetative cover. We investigated how the activity of the bank vole Myodes glareolus, field vole Microtus agrestis, wood mouse Apodemus sylvaticus and the common shrew Sorex araneus were impacted by changes in habitat and lunar light conditions across a range of habitats (mainly grassland protected sites) in Lincolnshire (UK). Microhabitat vegetation density as well as weather conditions were recorded across all trap sites, with Longworth traps set overnight and the successfully captured species recorded the following morning. Overnight temperature was found to positively influence capture rate across all species. The lunar phase was found to significantly impact capture rate, with the gibbous lunar phase providing the highest capture rate across species. The interaction between illumination and vegetation density was also found to impact activity levels in the bank vole and wood mouse, with the bank vole showing higher activity in thick vegetation at low light levels and across habitats at higher light levels, whereas wood mice were more often captured in intermediate cover at low and intermediate illumination but across a range of habitats at brighter illumination. In combination, it suggests that small mammal activity is altered to potentially reduce predation risk. However, in this community at least, brighter lunar illumination leads to increase activity.

Relationship of lunar phases and sex of the foetus: a retrospective study

Background: The relation of lunar phases at the time of conception to the sex of the child at birth has been touted as a method of sex selection by various birth calendars with controversial results. It is made to believe that indeed there is a relation of lunar phase at the time of conception/intercourse which results in birth of a particular gender. The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of the lunar phase on the possible relationship between lunar position at EDD/LMP and the gender of the child.Methods: One thousand and five deliveries were retrospectively analysed from 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2018 at the department of obstetrics and gynaecology of military hospital, Gwalior (latitude and longitude coordinates: 26.218287, 78.182831). Females having regular menstrual periods history around conception and in general their periods have been normal and regular were included in the study. Females having irregular menstrual periods history or having oligomenorrhoea/polymenorrhoea, ART/IVF conceptions were excluded from the study. Exact lunar phases were determined at the time of EDD and not with their LMP since that would automatically corelate well with LMP because of regularity of their periods. The actual date of birth was not considered while corelating with moon phase because of obvious reason of unexpected timing of labour.Results: The analysis revealed no significant correlation of gender of the child to lunar phases at EDD. This would indirectly corelate well with the LMP since the inclusion criterion had females having normal and regular menstrual periods.Conclusions: There is no predictable influence of the lunar phase on the gender of the baby. As expected, and in agreement with some recent studies this pervasive myth is not evidence based.

Equatorial ionization anomaly response to lunar phase and stratospheric sudden warming

This study examines the ionosphere response to gravitational forces of the lunar phase and dynamical disturbances of the stratospheric sudden warmings (SSWs). The total electron content (TEC) of global ionosphere maps is employed to examine responses of the equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA) crests to lunar phases and twelve SSW events during 2000–2013. The most prominent feature in the ionosphere is the EIA, characterized by two enhanced TEC crests at low latitudes straddling the magnetic equator, which can be used to observe ionospheric plasma dynamics and structures. Results show that the EIA crest appearance time on new/full moons (first/third quarters) leads (lags) that of the overall 14-year average, which causes a pattern of TEC morning enhancements (suppressions) and afternoon suppressions (enhancements). A statistical analysis shows that SSWs can also significantly cause the early appearance of EIA crests, regardless of the lunar phase. Thus, both lunar phase and SSWs can significantly modulate the appearance time of EIA crest and ionospheric plasma dynamics and structures.

P–729 Seasonality and lunar phase impact zona pellucida thickness while assisted reproductive treatment outcome shown no differences between seasons

Study question Does seasonal variation impact zona pellucida (ZP) thickness, other assisted reproductive treatment (ART) factors and ART outcome? Summary answer Seasonality and lunar phase impact ZP thickness while specific weather conditions alone do not, however, seasonality does not impact other ART factors or ART outcome. What is known already: Several epidemiological studies have demonstrated seasonal variation in natural pregnancy and birth rate, which varies across geographic regions. It has been suggested that temperature and light may affect the ability to conception via hormonal changes. However, data regarding the seasonal variation during ART is controversial and several studies with conflicting results have been published. One retrospective observational cohort study reported the significant influence of seasonality on fertilization rates with highest ones during the spring and the lowest ones in the autumn. However, another retrospective study did not demonstrate any significant influence of the seasons on ART outcome. Study design, size, duration This retrospective study was performed in the Fertility Center, VUH Santaros Clinics, Lithuania. 959 IVF/ICSI cycles conducted in IVF laboratory between 2017 and 2019 were analysed. The thickness of ZP was measured of 5002 oocytes retrieved between 2017 and 2018. Degenerated oocytes were excluded from the study. Average temperature (AT), precipitation (AP) and sunshine hours (ASH) of every month were taken from Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Service database. Lunar phase (LP) data was collected using Google Calendar. Participants/materials, setting, methods IVF/ICSI cycles were divided into four seasonal groups according to the day of oocyte pick-up. The number of retrieved and fertilized oocytes, transferred embryos, fertilization and pregnancy rates were compared among groups. Then, to avoid bias in fertilization rate, ICSI cycles were excluded and only IVF cycles were analysed. Measurements of ZP thickness were taken using NIS-Elements F software. It was evaluated if AT, AP, ASH, LP and seasonality had an effect on ZP thickness. Main results and the role of chance The mean number of retrieved oocytes and fertilized oocytes as well as the percentage of women who conceived was highest in the spring and lowest in the summer without statistical significance among all seasonal groups (p > 0.05). The fertilization rate was lowest in the spring (66.60%) and highest in the autumn (68.76%) without statistical significance among all four groups. The odds were 1.49 times higher to conceive in spring compared to summer and this result was statistically significant (95% CI 1.01–2.21; p = 0.046), however, when comparing all four seasons together, the difference was not significant. The calculations with only IVF cycles followed the same pattern except that the odds ratio results were not significant and the fertilization rate was highest in the winter. None of the weather conditions (average temperature, average precipitation and average sunshine hours) had an impact on ZP thickness. However, the mean ZP thickness was lowest in the summer (18.86 ± 3.08 µm) and highest in the autumn (19.43 ± 2.98 µm) and the difference among all four seasons was statistically significant (p < 0.05). The mean ZP thickness was lowest during the first quarter lunar phase and highest during the new moon phase with statistical significance among groups (p < 0.05). Limitations, reasons for caution A limitation of our study is unequal number of the IVF/ICSI procedures between months/seasons (e.g., the sample size of autumn was 340 while the sample size of summer was only 161). Also, the measurements of ZP were taken manually therefore there could be some errors. Wider implications of the findings: Understanding possible effects of external factors on ART outcome is important for the best treatment results. Even though seasonality and lunar phase significantly impact ZP thickness, we could not demonstrate any significant seasonal influence on other ART factors or ART outcome. Further studies with higher number of patients are required. Trial registration number Not applicable

Validation of manual, surface-based detections of Cirrus with CALIPSO space lidar

<p>Clouds generally cool the atmosphere due to a negative net radiative forcing. However the Cirrus clouds warm the climate, despite they co-occur with other cloud types, or are the only cloud layer present. Consequently, changes in Cirrus frequency are important for understanding the climate change and climate variations. Manual, ground-based observations of Cirrus are the longest climate record on that variable. The reliability of those observations is questionable, because of viewing geometry (middle/low-level clouds obscure the high-level clouds), and observers ability to detect optically thin media in the upper atmosphere.</p><p>We have validated the reliability of ground-based observations of Cirrus using state-of-the-art lidar data from the Cloud-Aerosol Lidar and Infrared Pathfinder Satellite Observations (CALIPSO) mission. Focusing on the observer’s sensitivity to Cirrus, we only evaluated the observations under a perfect conditions: no clouds at middle/low level. We found that probability of Cirrus detection was 67% during the day time, and was controlled by the Cirrus optical depth (60% for subvisual clouds, and >95% for depth >5). During the night the probability of detection decreased to 35%. Presence of the illuminated Moon positively impacted the hit rate, but only when lunar phase was greater than 50%. Evaluation of the visual method, as a whole, considered clouds at any level, as they occur in real, true-weather conditions. We found that probability of Cirrus detection was 48% daytime, and as little as 28% nighttime. The increase of the sky sealing by low/middle-level clouds negatively impacted the accuracy. Sharp decrease in Cirrus detection efficiency was observed when cloud fraction for middle/low clouds exceeded 50%-60% (daytime), and 10%-25% (nighttime).</p><p>Based on the results, we conclude that in the majority of cases, accuracy we found can be achieved just by an accident: "Cirrus"/"no Cirrus" can be reported with no looking at the sky, and the resulting accuracy will be the same as for the real, empirical data from stations. Consequently, the manual observations are highly uncertain and may be unreliable for deriving a long-term climate trends. Even at best, the surface-based, manual observations are less reliable than those collected with a satellite imagers (specifically the MODIS-VIIRS cloud product).</p>