Astronomical Pseudo-Science: A Skeptic's Resource List (Version 3.0; August 2003)

3. Crop Circles

Despite sensational claims of alien visitors making patterns in British wheat fields (a claim reinforced by the horror movie Signs), the evidence indicates that they are the work of Earthly hoaxters. Both the number and complexity of the crop circles seems to increase with media coverage, and several teams of hoaxter in Europe and America have now confessed.

Nickell, J. "Circular Reasoning" in Skeptical Inquirer, Sep/Oct. 2002, p. 17. A concise review, by a skeptical investigator. (On line at http://www.csicop.org/si/2002-09/crop-circles.html)

Nickell, J. & Fischer, J. "The Crop-Circle Phenomenon: An Investigative Report" in Skeptical Inquirer, Winter 1992, p. 136. A detailed investigation, with many cases and much evidence.

Nickell, J. "Crop Circle Mania Wanes" in Skeptical Inquirer, May/June 1995, p. 41. Brief follow-up to the above.

Schnabel, Jim Round in Circles. 2003, Prometheus Books. A science writer gives the history and explores the fascination different kinds of people have for crop circles.

Web Sites:

How to Make Crop Circles Yourself:
http://www.csicop.org/hoaxwatch/cropcircles.html

Crop Circle Confessions:
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?
colID=5&articleID=00038B16-ED5F-1D29-97CA809EC588EEDF (one of the hoaxters confesses in Scientific American magazine)

Confessions of a Crop-circle Con Man: http://www.manchester.com/java/features/crop.html. (About one of the original hoaxters.)

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