The Desert Circles No One Can Fully Explain
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The Desert Circles No One Can Fully Explain
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In 1978, a botanist marked a series of bare circles in the Namib Desert. Thirty-eight years later, many were still there.
Namibia’s fairy circles form one of the most regular vegetation patterns known in any dryland on Earth. Their centres can hold more water than the surrounding grass, yet seedlings repeatedly die inside them. For decades, researchers have argued over two leading explanations: underground termites, or grass organising itself through competition for scarce water.
As of 2026, there is still no consensus explanation.
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IN THIS EPISODE
— Desert circles that can persist for decades
— Why the bare centres can be wetter than the surrounding grass
— The termite hypothesis and the case against it
— How plants might create the pattern without any architect
SOURCES
Science, 2013
Nature, 2017
Walter Tschinkel, 2015
Cramer & Tschinkel review, 2025
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Narration in this episode is AI-assisted. Research, writing, and editorial decisions are human.
Reality Is Strange — real phenomena, verified, and stranger than they should be.
