CROP circles have confounded farmers and scientists alike since they were first recorded in the 17th century, and now physicist Professor Richard Taylor says the phenomenon is growing alongside advances in technology. The complexity of modern patterns, which can involve up to 2,000 individual and elaborately arranged shapes, suggest that clandestine groups of hoaxers must use sophisticated methods to complete their projects in a single night. GPS systems enables the artists to cover vast spaces with absolute precision, while microwaves can be used to flatten large numbers of stalks at great speeds, it was claimed. An analysis of evidence in the Physics World journal reported that researchers had used magnetrons tubes which use electricity and magnetism to generate intense heat to mimic the physical changes in flattened stalks in some circles, which are linked to radiation. TG