For ten hoi polloi have been stumped by the existence of " fairy circles " , foreign rotary patterns regain in desiccate regions of Namibia and Western Australia .

Various explanations have been proposed over the years for the formations – fromharvester termitestoTuring mechanism .   Complicating the mystery , or perhaps giving us the selective information we need to solve it , a squad of investigator has now discovered one C more web site control the fairy rophy .

Using satellite images and artificial intelligence information - base simulation to examine 574,799 plots of dryland , research worker found fairy roofy - like pattern in 263 location across 15 countries and three Continent . This included Namibia and Western Australia , as well as the Sahel , Western Sahara , the Horn of Africa , Madagascar , Southwest Asia , and Central Australia .

" Our subject area provides evidence that fairy circles are far more vernacular than previously thought , " Colorado - author of the study Manuel Delgado - Baquerizo say in astatement , " which has allowed us , for the first time , to globally understand the factors affecting their distribution . "

The squad found that the fairy circles occur in pretty similar atmospheric condition , in soil with low nitrogen content and in areas with an fair rain of less than 200 millimeters ( 8 inch ) per twelvemonth .

" In improver to these factors , the presence of specific biological elements ( termite nests ) in certain regions also plays a role in the presence of these patterns , " the squad add in their study .

More intriguingly , the team found that flora production in these fairy circle regions was greater and more stable than in regions without them .

" These results provide the first empiric grounds of increased stableness of fairy circle productivity , a key place of ecosystem that is related to the stable planning of ecosystem services such as the amount of forage , " Fernando T. Maestre , prof and director of the Laboratory of Arid Zone Ecology and Global Change at the University of Alicante , said .

Further study at a local grade at these web site is needed to determine their cause , the squad said in their paper . The researcher have made a global atlas of fairy circles usable to serve enable it .

The report is published inProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences .