Information passed through generations of Indigenous Australians has revealed the source of 'fairy circles'

These 'fairy circles' were first recorded in Namibia during the 1970s and have been a source of scientific debate ever since.

They can be seen around the continent, particularly in Western Australia's Pilbara region, Nyiyaparli country.

In 2016, 10 scientists from across the globe agreed the circles formed when spinifex plants competed for limited water. The mystery seemed solved.

But lingering in the background was Indigenous knowledge carried through thousands of years, much of which was not included in the study.

Gladys Bidu, a Martu woman, had learnt about the circles since childhood. She knew more was at play, including tiny burrowing insects.

Ms Bidu worked with a new team of researchers to show how termite pavements, some over 12,000 years old, hold water after rain.

The circles, known linyji in Ms Bidu's language, formed as a result.

Project lead and ethno-ecologist Dr Fiona Walsh said she would not have questioned the 2016 findings without the knowledge of Indigenous locals.

"I ... learned from Martu people in the 1980s about their interpretations of these pavements and their uses of the pavements," she told ABC.

The team of eight scientists and eight Indigenous Australians surveyed plots on Nyiyaparli country to prove termite chambers were below.

A peer-reviewed journal article updating findings was published as a result.

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The flat circles have been used by Aboriginal people as a hard, flat surface to prepare food, to draw up water and as a breeding place for mulyamiji - a type of skink.

Ms Bidu was proud of what her family had taught her, It is now being passed to further generations.

"I think the methods that we've been using, as well as the richness of what we're finding together, and bouncing and learning from each other, has potential for a much wider understanding of plants and animals within desert areas," Dr Walsh said.