By Tim Binnall
A remarkable study wherein artificial intelligence was used to comb through thousands of satellite images in search of mysterious rings of vegetation known as fairy circles has revealed that the enigmatic phenomenon seems to be far more widespread than previously thought. The curious formations were originally believed to be found only in Africa's Namib Desert until scientists discovered a patch of the rings in a particularly arid part of Australia. Wondering if these peculiar rings could also appear elsewhere in the world, researchers reportedly developed an AI model which recognizes fairy circles based on known pictures of the phenomenon and then set the technology loose on a slew of satellite images to see what it might uncover.
The end result of the study was rather astounding as a staggering 263 previously undiscovered fairy circles were spotted in 15 different countries across three continents. The project, lead researcher Delgado Baquerizo marveled in a press release, "has allowed us, for the first time, to globally understand the factors affecting their distribution." To that end, when the team examined the environmental conditions of these various locations where the circles were spotted, a proverbial recipe for the rings seemingly emerged by way of a distinct pattern. To that end, all of the areas where the suspected formations were found via the study are particularly dry, receive less than seven inches of rainfall on average per year, and sport soil that is low in nitrogen.
In publishing their findings this week, the team behind the project created what they call a "global atlas of fairy circles" to be used by researchers trying to solve the mystery of their odd rings of vegetation. That said, not everyone is convinced of the project's conclusions as some skeptical scientists argue that one cannot be certain if the newfound formations are genuine occurrences of the phenomenon until they are subject to an on-the-ground investigation. Be that as it may, the slew of suspected fairy circles uncovered by the study should add new insights into the enigmatic phenomenon and just might finally provide an answer as to its origin.