Salt Lake Telegram | 1932-10-29 | Page 4 | Effect of Moon on Animals due to Extra Hours of Light, Says Scientist

Effect of Moon on Ani Animals als Due to r t Extra Hours of Light Says Scientist t. t LONDON LONDONi Oct 29 9 SS The SS-The The effect ef ct feet of the moon on the reproductive cycle of oC living organisms particUlarly arly larty marine animals animal has been given givena a 3 new explanation by Professor H. H Munro Fox of the zoological al department department depart depart- ment of the University of ot Birmingham firming firming- ham who believes that the lengthened length ened hours of light at full moon holds the answer to the problem Scientists have ha b been n puzzled to account account account ac ac- ac- ac count for this effect of the moon since the Intensity of at the light of the full Cull moon Is only about one hun five thousandth that of sunlight Professor Fox disagrees with the theory which has been previously advanced advanced ad ad- that the partially pol polarized d light ight of ot the moon Is the causal cawal fac lao tor There are no known instances of polarized light effecting organisms and the little littie experimental work 1 which has hM been done to test this has given negative results result he said in a report to the British scientific Journal Jour lour nal Nature Moreover animals and plants receive very mUch more polarized polar light from the sky during each ead day than they receive from the moon Recent R cent experimental work how ever on the inn Influence ence of ot light ight cn on n sexual xu periodicity in general suggests a Q way in which moonlight might impose impose im im- un- un pose a lunar periodicity In mammaLs mammals mam main mals mats and birds the length of the breeding season ason appears to depend In part on the dally daily number numb of hours houri during which the animals ar are arc exposed exposed ex posed to light Thus the moon moon may perhaps cause a lunar cycle in reproduction not through it its relatively small intensity of light as comp compared r d with that of the sun but by the additional add addi total number of hours of il illumination ii per twenty four hours at full moon over and above a threshold light value Professor or Fox urged experiments to test t his theory I