Fairy circles in the Namib Desert have fascinated people for centuries – from Himba traditions to more recent scientific theories, we have formed numerous different explanations for how these enigmatic circles of sand came into being. Several recent theories revolve around competition among plants or termites, or both. A scientific study this year went back to one of the original theories for fairy circle formation, and found some compelling evidence to support it.
Fairy circles have several features that must be explained by any proposed cause – they occur at regular intervals, often they are almost perfect circles (although some big ones are more oblong in shape), the centre of the circle is totally bare, whilst it is ringed by denser stands of grass than the immediate vicinity.
