Discussion 21: Crop Circles

What is a crop circle? The basic definition is a formation created by the flattening of tall crops, like corn, wheat, barley, etc. The exact date that these began appearing is unknown, but the most documented cases has occurred since the 1970's. Here are some pictures:

If you search the internet for pictures of crop circles do be wary of some them. Not everything on the internet is real, believe it or not :)

But what causes a crop circle or crop formation? One theory is that it is caused by the weather. Another is animal activity. The most popular theory is, of course, paranormal activity. Are aliens trying to communicate with us via these formations? Why would they only do them in crops and not just anywhere? Are crop circles caused by alien technology and/or UFO's?

What do you think causes crop circles? Or are they all just hoaxes?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crop_circle