The Full Moon: Is It Messing With Us?

All Episodes

October 2, 2025 • 43 mins

People swear that weird stuff goes down on a full moon. In fact, even SERIOUS folks like the nerds who work in ERs will tell you that something is off about those nights. And what’s amazing is that science has actually looked at this. And … there is some weird stuff here! From animals to ERs to our circadian rhythms to our menstrual cycles, we’ll find out — is something afoot during a full moon? We talk to Emeritus Prof. of emergency medicine Dr. Wendy Coates and circadian rhythm researchers Prof. Horacio de la Iglesia, Prof. Kristin Teßmar-Raible, and Prof. Charlotte Helfrich-Förster. Find our transcript here: https://bit.ly/ScienceVsFullMoon In this episode, we cover: (00:00) What do people think the full moon is doing to us? (03:54) How the moon influences animals (07:47) Does the full moon make ERs busier? (15:09) Does the full moon affect our sleep? (22:11) HOW is the full moon messing with us? (31:05) Does the full moon affect our menstrual cycles? This episode was produced by Meryl Horn, with help from Wendy Zukerman, Rose Rimler, Michelle Dang, and Ekedi Fausther-Keeys. We’re edited by Blythe Terrell. Mix and sound design by Bumi Hidaka. Fact checking by Marlowe Starling. Music written by Bumi Hidaka, Bobby Lord, Emma Munger, So Wylie, and Peter Leonard. Thanks to all the researchers we spoke to for this episode, including Dr. Ron Flick, Dr. Michael Smolensky, Michael Bevington, Dr. Laurel Symes, Professor Laura Prugh, and Dr. Maarten Nijsten. Special thanks to Kevin Walsh and all the folks who chatted with me about the full moon. Science Vs is a Spotify Studios Original. Listen for free on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. Follow us and tap the bell for episode notifications. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mark as Played

Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know

If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.

Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang

Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.

Crime Junkie

Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.

.css-15opob5{left:0;position:absolute;top:0.8rem;} All Episodes

.css-14f5ked{margin:0;word-break:break-word;display:-webkit-box;-webkit-box-orient:vertical;box-orient:vertical;-webkit-line-clamp:2;overflow:hidden;}The Full Moon: Is It Messing With Us?