The lunatic fringe: Is moonlight the miracle cure?

Deep in the Arizona desert, a bizarre machine is offering new hope to sufferers from conditions ranging from eczema to cancer. How does it work? By the light of the silvery moon... Words & pictures by Jason Oddy

People come from far and wide to test the benefits of the Interstellar Light Collector...

While another couple were receiving their dose Eric began rhapsodising about an experiment conducted by Dr Corinne Davies, a professor at the University of Arizona. "She took two lots of seeds and put one in front of the Collector," he explained. "The seeds that were exposed to the moonlight germinated much more successfully. It was incredible." Later on the phone, I asked Dr Davies, currently on sabbatical writing a book, In the Arms of the Moon: A Lunar Spin on the Evolution Story, about her experiment. "It's cool what he's doing," she said of Chapin's invention. "Everyone should have the chance to realise their dreams. But I don't think my results proved anything. It was just a preliminary test ... Still, I didn't expect anything to happen – but it did." - independent