Petrichor, the smell of rain on dry ground, happens when raindrops trap and release a bacterial compound called geosmin into the air
by dillimunda
Petrichor, the smell of rain on dry ground, happens when raindrops trap and release a bacterial compound called geosmin into the air
by dillimunda
25 Comments
Ok.
And all of these years I just thought I was smelling rain on the dry ground….
I love that smell! turns out we are like sharks for smelling water on dirt.
Related fun fact: humans are many many times more sensitive to detecting petrichor than sharks are at detecting blood. No evolutionary benefit, just a biological anomaly afaik.
Edit: On reflection, I was misremembering the evolutionary benefit side of things. As some of you have pointed out.
Petra = Rock, Ichor – Blood of the gods
This smell has made me sad since when I was a child.
Water so yummy
Some things should never be quantified so specifically.
I hate that smell.
One of my favorite smells along with lilac and petrol. (Not together)
In the southwest part of the states {Cali, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and parts of Mexico,} it’s called Larrea Tridentata – aka the creosote bush. <3 Tiny fact: If you cup your hands around your mouth and breathe on a creosote bush, you can smell its unique perfume. Many people like to say it is the smell of desert rain. 🙂
No way it’s JUST geosmin. There are so many plants and fungi that release scents when rained on
I can smell that
Also the name of the worst song ever from the band Phish
Wait, so that’s why Risk of Rain planet is called Petrichor V
O_O
Wait, what? We actually can learn something useful on Reddit! This unique smell has been baffling me all my life. Thanks OP.
⭕️⭕️⭕️
I absolutely adore the smell of petrichor on a hot summer evening! It makes me feel incredibly nostalgic and sweetly melancholic.
Did my entire PhD on this compound. Great when you’re hiking, terrible in your seafood.
Are they any good simulated sprays or candles to have that scent at home?
I’ve tried many times to find a petrichor scented candle. The problem is humans are so sensitive to it they all have too much geosmin, so they all smell pungent and awful.
Always thought is was ozone. News to me.
This smells so good.
Petrichor: https://youtu.be/gbMTa1yeSyw?si=rLVVDLtQyACiY5xk
And our noses can identify that smell better than many other smells. Mostly because of an evolutionary survival adaptation.