Exobiology: UFOs: Crop Circles

Exobiology was the original term given to the sciences central to the question of life-in-the-Universe. It’s now been largely replaced by Astrobiology, but I’ll stick with the original. Assuming one or more extraterrestrial civilizations with advanced, interstellar spaceflight capability exists; then they know about Planet Earth. Say ‘hi’ to those pesky UFOs. If UFOs aren’t mystery enough, there’s the mainly British crop circle enigma. Might the two anomalies be connected?

This item has me totally stumped. Firstly, it’s an ever on-going phenomenon, growing in complexity year by year. That all of them are hoaxes is ridiculous. Have you ever read of someone being caught in the act, apprehended, and prosecuted for trespassing and destroying personal property (these crops are valuable commodities to their owners)? [Actually, a few have, but so few relative to the thousands of circles created that for all intents and purposes, if all are hoaxes, then the vast, vast majority are getting away with their vandalism.]  On the other hand, they certainly aren’t the landing marks of UFOs. Nor are whirlwinds a be-all-and-end-all explanation. And I really don’t want to try to come to terms with any mystical solutions – earth energies, Gaia, whatever. There is clearly an intelligence at work here, and I’m damned if I know what it is. If I had to vote for the most puzzling scientific mystery of our times, this would be it. However, I’m reasonably convinced it has nothing to do with UFOs or ETI and therefore has little relevance here. But I sure wish I knew what was going on! Although…

For better or worse, crop (or sometimes ‘corn’) circles have been associated with UFOs to a greater or lesser extent depending on whom you consult. Firstly, there’s no doubt that crop circles exist – that’s undisputed. Secondly, crop circles are the product of intelligence; there’s no way Mother Nature can naturally make these complex geometric formations – that’s undisputable. Thirdly, although there are isolated cases from other countries, crop circle formations are 99 & 44/100% reside in merry old England – no arguments there.

That third fact brings up question one: assuming crop circles are hoaxes, what is it about the British mind set that prompts them to commit these ‘works of art’? That’s never been explained. Maybe crop circle hoaxers might be more reluctant to do their thing in the USA where farmers shoot first and ask questions later, but why not lots and lots of ‘circles’ in France, Canada, Australia and a host of other nations with major agricultural (crop) industries?

Question two, again assuming hoaxes, can the sum total of crop circle formations be explained by artistic human intelligence, keeping in mind the restraints of sheer numbers of circles; the period of limited darkness in which to operate (high summer in England); the fact that it is dark; the possibility of being caught (you don’t want to use flashlights); not to mention additional time required for the ever increasing complexity of these crop circle formations?

Question three: assuming now not human, but extraterrestrial intelligence (the UFO connection – if any), what is the motive? Sceptics have pointed out, rightly so, that it is ludicrous in the extreme to suggest that extraterrestrials come here, from there (wherever there is) just to do geometrical graffiti using agricultural crops as their canvas! It’s probably equally ludicrous to suggest that UFOs are alien tourist buses, the extraterrestrials on a holiday tourist tour, and England has been set aside as the area for extraterrestrial artists on tour to practice their art!

But, there could be another aspect to ET and the circle mystery. There are the trickster gods of mythology, who are actually not supernatural deities but extraterrestrials. If trickster ‘gods’ wanted to have a bit of relatively harmless fun with us humans, well perhaps they’re behind the crop circle business! Now the absurdity of ET coming across light-years of space away with a motive just to dabble in agricultural (crop circle) graffiti has been pointed out by others. I quite agree. But, if ET were already here (and agricultural graffiti wasn’t the motivation) and some ET’s have a wicked sense of humour and like to befuddle the humans, well that’s a motive!

But, maybe crop circles are a smoking gun that we do live in a simulated Universe and on a simulated planet. All other ‘rational’ explanations are equally, if not more so, ridiculous. If extraterrestrials, their motive isn’t at all obvious apart from playing April Fools’ pranks.  If human in origin, crop circle graffiti should be way more widespread like ordinary back alley brick wall graffiti is, not to mention that a lot higher percentage of crop circle culprits or ‘artists’ should have been caught, tried, convicted, and fined for vandalism, destruction of private property and just plain trespassing. 

Further recommended readings:

Andrews, Colin & Delgado, Pat; Circular Evidence: A Detailed Investigation of the Flattened Swirled Crops Phenomena; Bloomsbury, London; 1989:

Andrews, Colin & Delgado, Pat; Crop Circles: The Latest Evidence; Bloomsbury, London; 1990:

Collins, Andrew; The New Circlemakers: Insights Into the

Crop Circle

Mystery; 4^th Dimension Press, Virginia Beach, Virginia; 2009:

Delgado, Pat; Crop Circles: Conclusive Evidence?; Bloomsbury, London; 1992:

Fuller, Paul & Randles, Jenny; Controversy of the Circles: An Investigation of the Crop Circles Mystery; British UFO Research Association, London; June 1989:

Fuller, Paul & Randles, Jenny; Crop Circles: A Mystery Solved; Robert Hale, London; 1990:

Glickman, Michael; Crop Circles: The Bones of God; Frog Books, Berkeley, California; 2009:

Haselhoff, Eltjo H.; The Deepening Complexity of Crop Circles: Scientific Research & Urban Legends; Frog Books, Berkley, California; 2001:

Meaden, George Terence; The Circles Effect and Its Mysteries; Artetech Publishing Company, Bradford-on-Avon, UK; 1989:

Noyes, Ralph (Editor); The

Crop Circle

Enigma: Grounding the Phenomenon in Science, Culture and Metaphysics; Gateway Books, The Hollies, UK; 1990:

Schnabel, Jim; Round in Circles: Physicists, Poltergeists, Pranksters and the Secret History of the Cropwatchers; Hamish Hamilton, London; 1993:

Silva, Freddy; Secrets in the Fields: The Science and Mysticism of Crop Circles; Hampton Roads, Charlottesville, Virginia; 2002:

Thomas, Andy; Vital Signs: A Complete Guide to the Crop Circle Mystery and Why It Is NOT A Hoax; Frog Books, Berkley, California; 2002:

Further recommended viewing:

Gazecki, William (Director); Crop Circles: Quest for Truth; Eagle Entertainment DVD; 2002: