Ever since the world first formed, night has followed day. It is a certainty hardwired into living things. Plants will boost their scent or close up based on the time of day. Animals will hunt or mate, give birth or hatch, at a particular moment relative to dawn or dusk. “This biological clock, the circadian rhythm is ancient, shared and completely fundamental,” ecologist Johan Eklöf writes in The Darkness Manifesto. It is also under threat. “Light pollution”—a term first coined by astronomers searching for ever more remote places to study the night sky—has come to be used by ecologists, physiologists and neurologists who study the effects of disappearing night. Eklöf gives the example of the dramatic decline in insect populations over the past 30 years, one of the biggest impacts of light pollution. Anyone who has seen a moth trapped in a beam of light knows how insects can This story is from Kinfolk Issue Forty-Nine Buy Now Related Stories Arts & Culture Issue 51 Emily Gernild The Danish painter breathing new life into an old medium. Arts & Culture Food Issue 51 Imogen Kwok The artist takes food styling quite literally, creating accessories out of fruits and vegetables. Arts & Culture Design Issue 51 How to Make a Chair And do it on a tiny budget. Arts & Culture Issue 51 Odd Jobs The comedian with strong opinions about your home décor. Arts & Culture Issue 51 Tall Order The hidden depths of height. Arts & Culture Films Issue 51 Vicky Krieps An interview with the actor.
Arts & Culture Food Issue 51 Imogen Kwok The artist takes food styling quite literally, creating accessories out of fruits and vegetables.
