Solved! The answer to the fairy circle mystery

Plus: A new breakthrough method generates hydrogen gas in a one-step process. Nov 04, 2022 [Blueprint]( Fairy circles may sound like something J.M. Barrie dreamed up to keep Peter and Wendy company, but no… these fairy circles are very much real. They’re in Namibia, and they're basically circular regions of land where no vegetation grows for no apparent reason… until now. Because until recently, these fairy circles were nothing short of a total mystery. Then, in 2020, researchers from the Department of Ecosystem Modeling at the University of Göttingen in Germany tried to solve the mystery using the Turing method… [and only now have they succeeded](. But before you gaze in wonder at that, have a quick gaze (or not-so-quick, your call) at [this video](. It shows Hale-Bopp (the famous 90s comet that took the world by storm) streaking across the sky. And it’s wondrous. Good morning. I’m Alice, an Editor at IE. This is The Blueprint. Let’s get started. [A brief guide to looking for aliens.]( [premium] What would it be like if researchers came across evidence of aliens? This article suggests positive proof could come in a range of different forms. [Play]VIDEO OF THE DAY [Watch Hale-Bopp in action: The famous 90s comet that took the world by storm.]( [Watch Hale-Bopp in action.]( All hail Hale-Bopp! [Must Read]MUST READ [Researchers have solved the mystery of Namibia's fairy circles.]( [Researchers have solved the mystery of Namibia's fairy circles.]( Stand down super sleuths of the world, this is one [mystery that is well and truly solved](. Namibian fairy circles are circular regions of land that range in diameter from 7 to 49 feet (2 to 15 meters). They have no vegetation on them whatsoever, but are frequently surrounded by a ring of promoted grass growth – hence their fairy circle name. And until recently, they were a complete mystery. Then, in 2020, researchers tried to solve the mystery by using the Turing method (which explains how natural patterns like stripes and dots can emerge organically and independently from a homogeneous, uniform state). The researchers observed intermittent rain in numerous desert locales and analyzed grasses, their roots and shoots, and probable termite root damage. Their findings demonstrate that the grasses within the circles began to die about 10 days after rainfall, while the majority of the interior area of the circles had no grass germination at all. The struggling grasses inside the circles were completely dead and had turned yellowish in color twenty days after the last rain, whereas the grasses outside the circles were green and healthy. So, the answer is plant water stress. → Millions of fairy circles — circular holes in the grassland, each a few meters wide, forming a characteristic pattern across the entire landscape and visible for miles around — can be found in Namib, about 80 kilometers (49 miles) from the coast. [READ MORE [Arrow]]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Linkedin]( [INNOVATION]INNOVATION [Engineers developed a breakthrough method to generate hydrogen gas in one-step process.]( [Engineers and scientists have created a method]( that derives energy from light and employs gold nanoparticles to convert hydrogen sulfide and sulfur in one step. They hope this will turn a costly burden into a valuable commodity. [READ MORE [Arrow]]( And Other Stories in Innovation - Rocket Lab will attempt to [catch a rocket booster with a helicopter]( again this week. - Computer scientists just developed a system for [helping AI understand human goals](. [premium] - [Top 13 weekend projects for engineers](. [SCIENCE]SCIENCE [Hydrothermal vent site in the Arctic could provide clues about extraterrestrial life.]( An expedition has revealed that the hydrothermal system could hold [clues to finding life on other planets]( and their moons. They think it could help scientists look for signs of life on Jupiter's moon, Europa. [READ MORE [Arrow]]( And Other Stories in Science - DARPA plans to dispatch satellites to '[spaceship graveyard]( - Tiger sharks help researchers find the [world's biggest seagrass meadow]( beneath the Bahamas’ banks. - Astronomers are rallying against the ['unsustainable' Starlink problem](. [premium] [MAIL & MUSINGS]MAIL & MUSINGS Researchers have solved the mystery of Namibia's fairy circles. Do you think there are other self-organized vegetation phenomena like these fairy circles? [Yes, I would think so]( [No, this is a one-off]( [Perhaps, but slightly different]( [I am unsure either way]( YESTERDAY'S RESULTS Yesterday, we asked you if you think we will still see Falcon Heavy launches after SpaceX completes its Starship, and 39 percent of you said if Elon thinks they do, they do. In Elon we trust. 39% If Elon thinks they do, they do 25% Yes, they do 18% No, not enough 18% It's hard to say either way [QUOTE OF THE DAY]QUOTE OF THE DAY “Life cannot have had a random beginning ... The trouble is that there are about 2000 enzymes, and the chance of obtaining them all in a random trial is only one part in 10^40,000, an outrageously small probability that could not be faced even if the whole universe consisted of organic soup.” Fred Hoyle, Evolution from Space: A Theory of Cosmic Creationism. 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