Petrichor, the smell of rain

The word “petricor” comes from the Greek words petros, meaning “stone” and ichor, meaning “fluid flowing in the veins of the gods.”

He petrichor It is the smell that occurs when rain falls on dry ground, it is because rainwater contact with chemical substances and soil, which originates from a combination of oils from plants and bacteria present in the terrestrial environment, according to research on the subject.

Named by two Australian researchers in the 1960s, this warm, earthy smell we smell when rain hits dry soil is produced by bacteria.

Bacteria, plants, and even lightning can play a role pleasant smell of clean air and wet earth felt after a thunderstorm, read the BBC post.

This combination is known as geosmin which is the molecule that is synthesized when it rains.

According to a BBC publication, this molecule, known as geosmin, is produced by streptomyces (group of actinobacteria, the largest genus).

Geosmin present in most healthy soils, these bacteria are also used to create commercial antibiotics.

Water droplets falling on the ground cause geosmin to be released into the air, making it much more abundant after rain.

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Isabel Bear and RG Thomas, the first researchers to name the smell petricor discovered that in the 1960s it had already been caught for sale, under the name matti ka attar, in Uttar Pradesh, India.

Now, geosmin is becoming more common as an ingredient in perfumes.