Explanation behind 'God's footprints' left in Namibian desert after decades of mystery
Ecologists have provided a scientific explanation for the 'fairy circles' in the Namib Desert, suggesting they are caused by grasses competing for scarce water resources. The study indicates that plants evolve to create a vacuum around their roots, effectively starving neighboring vegetation to survive in arid conditions.
Why it matters
This research resolves a long-standing natural mystery and offers insights into how vegetation adapts to extreme climate conditions.
People online still are not convinced by the science
Featured Image Credit: (By Thorsten Becker, Beavis729, Wikimedia Commons) Science Advert
One of nature's strangest patterns has surfaced online and many people aren't buying the science.
The Namib Desert's 'fairy circles' are bare circular patches scattered across roughly 1,100 miles of Southern African grassland. While the name is a nod to the 'fairy rings' of fungi found in forests, there is actually no fungus and no folklore at work here.
For decades, scientists dumbed it down to two explanations. One theorised it to be sand termites chewing through grass roots, the other pointed to the grasses themselves. Scientists argued back and forth until a recent study offered what may finally be firm evidence.
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