Namibian desert FAIRY CIRCLE mystery has finally been explained
Scientists crack conundrum of bizarre rings that have been popping up in the desert
IT’S the mystery that’s kept scientists guessing for decades.
But scientists think they finally know what has been mysterious fairy circles 20cm wide and perfectly spaced 20cm apart in the Namibian desert.
The grassy flatland is puckered with millions of small round patches of bare earth, appearing like the pock-marked surface of the moon.
One theory suggested that plants competing for water created the bizarre-looking pattern.
But now Princeton University researcher Corina Tarnita and Juan Bonachela of the University of Strathclyde, along with their colleagues, have used computer software to show that competition between sand bugs like termites could be to blame.
What are fairy circles?
Desert grasslands in parts of Namibia are punctuated by regularly patterned patches of bare soil known as fairy circles.
The stunning natural phenomenon includes millions of perfect circles 20cm in diameter and spaced 20cm apart.
But after decades of research, and with similar circles appearing across the world have left scientists scratching their head.
A new theory suggests termites fighting for resources under the soil could be to blame.
Other theories suggest that plants fighting for water have essentially sucked up nutrients in what appears like a perfect pattern.
Neighbouring tribes believe that patches have been caused by the gods or divine spirits.
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It's backed up by the presence of wriggly termite nests in each circle, but the regularity of the circle pattern still remains a mystery.
But not everyone’s convinced.
German researchers have spotted similar patterns in the Australian outback – but no termites were to be found.
Stephan Getzin at the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research in Leipzig, Germany, said: Logically, if there are fairy circles without the presence of termites, the termite theory cannot be considered as a strong explanation for the phenomenon.
It appears deserts are (in)fertile ground for mysterious goings on.
A bizarre video of an unknown figure creeping through the barren sands of Portugal recently went viral.
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