Sign ‘N’ Words 

The Earth we live in is full of secrets which have puzzled mankind since time immemorial. Attempts have been made over the years by our ancestors and modern-day scientists to unravel the mysteries of our planet - at least some of those we have so far identified; many more still lie hidden to us.

Today we thought of inviting you to join us on an expedition of discovery...

You can then be familiar with some of the signs and wonders of our Planet Earth and also enhance your knowledge with what has been unravelled by scientists so far.

Among the numerous mysteries of our planet is something known as the ‘crop circles’, which are most clearly visible from the skies.

These amazing sights that have cropped up in various parts of the world continue to baffle (confuse) scientists.

No one has yet been able to explain as to how such intricately designed crop circles could have ‘cropped up’ overnight. Now, isn’t that amazing? So, let’s check out exactly what these mysterious designs on Earth are...

What are crop circles?

Large, flattened areas, mostly in cornfields, which come up overnight are identified as ‘crop circles’ by scientists. Even though a majority of them are circular in shape, these flattened land areas come in all shapes and sizes. Apart from the circles, there are some in the shape of keys, weird insects, claws and even the stars. Many farmers claim that they had been created overnight by unknown forces.

Who created these weird patterns on the ground?

Could humans have done something like this during the night without anyone noticing or hearing anything? The scientists have no real explanation, but many theories have been put forward.

One of them is; they are the results of the weather - may be mini whirlwinds. Some scientists are of the view that winds charged with electricity flowing over the hills could have triggered mini-whirlwinds which eventually created crop circles. Well, perhaps this would explain why some people claim they saw lights and heard humming around the places where crop circles appeared. That’s just one possibility.

There is also a view that these crop circles may have been done as a joke by a group of people after much planning. Now, what do you think? Is such a thing possible, especially when one takes into consideration the intricate designs some of these crop circles have.

They really have to be viewed from the skies to make one wonder and think deeply about them. Perhaps we will never be able to understand the wonder that surrounds them unless we visit some of the places having crop circles.

Another explanation for these mysterious signs on Earth is - yes, you guessed it - aliens! If you believe in their existence, then this possibility becomes stronger.

Where on Earth are they?

Even though these strange, weird shapes in crops have been puzzling mankind for hundreds of years they have not been studied in detail until about three decades (30 years) ago. With the advancement of technology more and more attention is being paid to these odd, fascinating and intricate designs appearing on Earth.

Some of the countries where these strange designs have cropped up are Australia, Canada, Israel, South Africa, Japan, the United Kingdom and USA. Scientists claim that there have been reports of crop circles from about 40 more countries.

They further state that there are ‘hot spots’ for crop circles such as Wiltshire in England where they appear more often than in other areas in a year. Thousands of crop circles are said to have appeared in Wiltshire in the last 50 years.

Are corn fields the only places they appear in?

They occur a lot in corn fields which are in fact huge extents of land. But, these fields are not the only places on Earth where these strange designs have been spotted. Crop circles have also occurred in wheat, barley, rapeseed (also called canola) rye, linseed and soy fields. They also appear on sand, soil, snow, ice and even on grassfields. Sometimes they have also been observed in leaves on trees.

Hundreds of giant forest circles have appeared in the north of Canada. They can only be seen from the air and are said to be two kilometres (1.25 miles) in size.

When were they first spotted?

The earliest crop circle on record may be the one spotted in Assen in Holland way back in 1590. In Australia people began to notice them in the 1960s and that too in the swamps near Tully in Queensland.

An image resembling a crop circle is reported to have appeared in a 17th century English wood cut. It had been called the Mowing Devil. In ufology(study of UFOs) literature, plenty of reports of crop circles are given.

However the crop circle phenomena was reported initially in the early 1970s in modern times. Since then more than 12,000 reports have been filed in from all over the world. These circles are totally at odds with modern science. More than 90 per cent of the reported crop circles are from England.

Until 1990 not much attention was paid to these crop circles being made by people as a hoax (an act intended to make somebody believe something that’s not true). Scientists and researchers have identified about 30 per cent of these crop circles as hoax. However, as some of the mysterious designs have appeared in some brittle plants that would snap if human hands or a machine tried to flatten them, explanations are yet to be found as to how they were flattened without any signs of damage. Some of the crops also show signs of them being subjected to severe heat in these crop circles.

Do humans make crop circles?

Yes... There are many reports of man-made crop circles often appearing in remote places mostly done as a hoax. Some are done as a form of crop-art. In 1978 a man named Doug Bower and his friends started a craze in England - to make crop circles. Having heard of stories spread by the people in Australia about crop circles made by aliens, he decided to make some in England to fool the people into believing that some alien spacecraft had landed. So he and his friends created crop circles and managed to fool the people for twelve long years. There still may be many such pranksters out there creating such crop circles with intricate designs.

Do these designs mean something?

Many wonder what exactly the intricate designs mean, especially if they are the work of aliens, as some believe.There are various possibilities that have been put forward and some of them are; they are landing sites for aliens, they are messages - may be a form of saying hello or even a warning or maps and signs made by them for their use - to find their way or to get in touch with other aliens.

The designs on many of these circles are said to be amazing. They are not only different from one to another, but also very complex, making it hard for us to believe they could have been caused by natural forces. Some of you may have seen the patterns made in the desert sand by the wind. But the crop circles or the mysterious designs made in other areas are very different.

They have specific designs that simply cannot be made by the wind alone.

This is why many believe they may be the work of human hands or aliens and not just natural forces... For instance, experts in this subject were unable to explain how the strange design containing 400 circles and nearly 300 metres across in extent, was made on Milk Hill, in Wiltshire, England. It was discovered just seven years ago (in 2001). Was it the work of aliens or some pranksters? If they are done by some extra-terrestrial forces, then what do the specific designs mean? These are some of the areas the experts are researching into.

Why do people attribute them to aliens?

Most think that aliens are responsible because such crop circles have often appeared in UFO (Unidentified Flying Object) hot spots. Even though there is no proof of this, people claim they have seen UFOs hovering over the places where these circles have appeared. In fact, experts have studied some of the bent stalks and soil inside certain crop circles and discovered higher magnetic readings in such spots. But it is still hard to prove whether they are man-made or the work of some other force.

In 1996 a farmer in Utah had reported that his tractor broke down and then he saw a strange shape cut into his field. He had claimed that there were no signs of anyone having walked over the field as no wheat was broken or stepped in. He had even claimed to see lights around the circle at night. So, what or who was responsible for creating such a circle in his wheat field? No one knows.

There are many farmers who say that these could be the work of aliens because generally farm animals are known to become noisy and nervous when crop circles are being made nearby. Even tractors, mobiles and cameras are said to stop working during such time.

So, if aliens (if they do exist) are responsible for these strange designs, why are they doing it and what are they trying to convey?

No matter what they denote or who is responsible for them, these strange designs are continuing to send scientists in circles as they struggle to find answers for their existence.

We have always been aware of the amazing forces of our Planet Earth which includes radiation, electrical energy and magnetic fields. Perhaps any one of these forces or even those we have still not even discovered are responsible for these awesome designs like the strange bird formation which appeared in a field in Wiltshire England.

Read more on these unusual designs to find out if they are the results of natural forces, human hands or aliens.