fairy circles

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Scientists May Have Cracked 'Fairy Circle' Mystery

Microbes inside grassless circles appear to inhibit seedling growth, researchers say

(Newser) - Scientists in Australia believe they may have an explanation for the "fairy circle" phenomenon, and it doesn't involve termites—or fairies. The researchers say soil microbes appear to be a major contributor to the grassless circles long considered one of nature's greatest mysteries , the New York Times...

Theory May Finally Explain Fabled 'Fairy Circles'

It's a combo of plants and termites

(Newser) - Scientists are always crashing the party when they bring the likeliest but often mundane reasons for mysterious phenomena. Such is the case in Namibia, where so-called "fairy circles" that pockmark the desert are now being explained in the journal Nature as not the footprints of gods or poisoned patches...

'One of Nature's Greatest Mysteries' Appears in Australia

No one knows what's causing the so-called fairy circles

(Newser) - The fairy circles of Namibia—believed to be unique in the natural world—have long been "one of nature's greatest mysteries," according to a recently published study . Then they turned up thousands of miles away in Australia. “I couldn’t believe what I was seeing,"...

Scientists Make Amazing 'Fairy Circle' Finding

The circles' layout matches those of skin cells

(Newser) - The Namibian desert is home to what are called " fairy circles ": strange formations of grassless earth surrounded by grass. Almost perfect circles, they're the subject of local myths, the BBC reports. Researchers still don't know what causes them, but new findings could help them figure it...

Study Debunks Fairy Circle Theories

Termites, underground gases don't deserve the credit

(Newser) - The upshot of the latest study on the enigmatic "fairy circles" that appear in Southwest Africa: "Their mystery remains as yet unresolved." But scientists have been able to rule out one of the leading hypotheses, which fingered termites as the likeliest creators . A 2013 study found evidence...

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