00:00Why does rain smell so good?
00:04Do you love the smell of rain?
00:06If so, you're not alone.
00:07In fact, some scientists actually think
00:10that people inherited their affection
00:11for the scent of rain from our ancestors
00:13who relied on rainy weather for survival.
00:16But what makes rain smell so nice?
00:19The answer lies in several scents
00:21that permeate the air after a rainfall.
00:23One of these pleasing scents is called petrichor.
00:26This earthy scent is produced when rain falls on dry soil,
00:30and it's actually a combination of two different smells.
00:33The first comes from plants.
00:36Certain plants secrete oils during dry spells,
00:39and when it rains, these oils are released into the air.
00:42And the second odor sprouts from the soil.
00:44It comes from chemicals from soil-dwelling bacteria,
00:48and it's also released when rain hits the ground.
00:50But this petrichor scent isn't the only reason
00:53that the smell of rain is pleasing.
00:55There's also the scent of ozone.
00:58That's right, ozone.
01:00It's formed during thunderstorms
01:02when lightning causes chemical reactions
01:04to take place in the atmosphere.
01:06The sharp smell of ozone is somewhat similar to chlorine.
01:10And if you're one of those people who can smell rain coming,
01:13ozone is why.
01:14Wind can carry the molecules from an approaching storm
01:17straight into your nostrils.
01:19The scent of rain.
01:20just another one of life's little mysteries.
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