The Science Behind That Fresh Rain Scent

Short Wave

NPR

News, Life Sciences, Daily News, Nature, Science, Astronomy

4.7 • 6.6K Ratings

🗓️ 10 June 2021

⏱️ 12 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

(Encore episode.) Scientists have known for decades that one of the main causes of the smell of fresh rain is geosmin: a chemical compound produced by soil-dwelling bacteria. But why do the bacteria make it in the first place? Reporter Emily Vaughn answers this mystery.

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Transcript

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