How the moon control biological cycle

        

            As far as we know, humans are the only livingthings that wear watches. But we aren’t the only ones that can telltime. Earth’s movement sets the rhythms of countlessbiological clocks. The 24 hour solar period winds cellular gearscontrolling sleep, hunger, and metabolism in creatures ranging from jellyfish to elephants. And our 365-and-a-quarter-day journey aroundthe sun regulates cycles of seasons, harvests, and migrations. But the phases of our planet’s nearest neighboralso have a surprising pull on biological rhythms. [OPEN] For many species the moon’s glow is a cuethat’s crucial to their survival. Vampires and emo teenagers aren’t the onlyones who find moonlight romantic. Lots of animals use the 29-and-a-half daylunar cycle to sync up when it comes to finding a mate. 

  Triggered by the full moon, impalas roar,which in turn triggers all their female mates to begin ovulation. Using a common signal like this ensures everymember of a species goes looking for a partner at the same time. Lunar cycles are especially important in thesea. Marine bristle worms live on rocky shorelines,where they rise to the water’s surface under the dim light of the new moon. The worms mass together, swirling around oneanother and release their gametes in sync. This big mating party increases the chancesthat any one worm will contribute to the next generation. Some eels also reproduce all at once, andrely on the dim light of the new moon to avoid predators. The moon also controls the tides, and thatpull can help some animals’ eggs and larvae develop and survive. Fish called grunion lay their eggs high upon beaches during high tides, where the sand protects the eggs as they develop. They hatch when the next cycle of high tideswashes them out to sea. But 

•what *controls* these living lunar cycles? 

    These species must have an inner moon clock. When scientists raised marine worms in constantlight or darkness, they didn’t try to reproduce. But when they gave them artificial light ona lunar schedule, the worms did their mesmerizing mating dance. The scientists found special neurons in theworms’ brains that respond to light, linked to timing genes that control these lunar behaviors. The moon seems to act like a signal that superchargesthe worms’ desire to mate when the light at night is just right. But the moon is more than just a clock. It transforms ecosystems. The full moon is 100 times brighter than thenew moon. This lets animals see their prey, forage,and navigate better. But all that light can be risky. Many species of frogs avoid calling to theirfriends during the full moon, since the extra light makes it more vulnerable to predators. And all the manmade light sources now floodingthe night could provide a fake, full-time full moon that might throw ecosystems outof whack. So what about us? Women’s reproductive cycles are about thesame length as the lunar cycle, but scientists think that’s probably just a coincidence. If human menstrual cycles were, in fact, linkedto the moon, why not our great ape sisters? Now that millions of women are using appsto track menstrual periods, it’s become pretty clear there’s likely no connection. 

     So for antelopes, coral, fish, and even wildebeeston the Serengeti, the phases of life are set by phases up above. Next time you take a look at that fancy clockin your pocket, remember that you aren’t the only creature on Earth who relies on asatellite to know what time it is. Stay curious. Yes. Technically speaking, moonlight is just sunlight. So you can stop typing that comment. And no, there’s no such thing as werewol