Moon’s Drift May Have Extended Earth’s Days and Sparked Evolutionary Milestones, Study Finds

A new study suggests that Earth’s days once became 2.2 hours longer due to the moon drifting thousands of miles farther away in its orbit. This shift may have sparked major evolutionary events by increasing sunlight exposure and leading to significant oxygenation, which played a role in life’s complexity explosion. Researchers discovered that as the moon migrated away, it slowed Earth’s rotation, lengthening the days. By analyzing rock layers and tidal forces, the study identified two key periods—around 650 to 500 million years ago and 340 to 280 million years ago—when these changes occurred, possibly influencing events like the Cambrian explosion. However, the study urges caution in interpreting these results and challenges other theories linking Earth’s spin changes to glaciation and mass extinctions.