Could humans survive if the Moon disappeared?

Yes — humans would probably survive if the Moon suddenly disappeared, but Earth would change in important ways and long-term risks to civilization would be serious.

In broad terms:

• Ocean tides would become much weaker overall. The Moon is the main driver of tides, so removing it would reduce tides substantially, though the Sun would still produce some tides.
• Nights would be darker, which would affect nocturnal animals, ecosystems, and some human activities.
• Earth would not instantly lose its atmosphere or be thrown out of orbit. There would be no immediate planet-wide destruction just from the Moon vanishing.
• Over very long timescales, Earth’s axial tilt would likely become less stable because the Moon helps stabilize it. That could increase climate variability and make seasons more extreme.

So the short answer is: yes, humans could survive the Moon disappearing, but Earth would become less stable and life — especially ocean life, coastal ecosystems, and large-scale civilization — would face major challenges.

This is a thought experiment that assumes the Moon simply vanishes rather than breaks apart or alters Earth’s orbit.