The Kid Should See This

What makes that fresh rain smell? MIT films rain drops to find out

Watch more with these video collections:

Why do we smell that fresh earthy scent before and/or after it rains? With high-speed cameras, MIT researchers have filmed rain drops, and believe that the footage explains petrichor, the “pleasant smell that frequently accompanies the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather.” From MIT.edu:

Using high-speed cameras, the researchers observed that when a raindrop hits a porous surface, it traps tiny air bubbles at the point of contact. As in a glass of champagne, the bubbles then shoot upward, ultimately bursting from the drop in a fizz of aerosols.

The team was also able to predict the amount of aerosols released, based on the velocity of the raindrop and the permeability of the contact surface.

The researchers suspect that in natural environments, aerosols may carry aromatic elements, along with bacteria and viruses stored in soil. These aerosols may be released during light or moderate rainfall, and then spread via gusts of wind.

Suddenly the rain has additional dimensions. What else is in that fresh rain smell? According to Live Science in 2013, plant oils, actinomycetes, and ozone (which smells similar to chlorine) might also contribute.

Update, via NPR: Raindrops Catapult Bacteria Into The Air, And It’s Beautiful.

Related videos: Drops and rain. Plus: How many smells can you identify?

via BBC Earth.

🌈 Watch these videos next...

Why can water drops pass through a soap bubble?

Rion Nakaya

What causes body odor?

Rion Nakaya

Unapeeling, an animated short by Amber Baris

Rion Nakaya

This giant plant looks like raw meat and smells like dead rat

Rion Nakaya

These tiny origami robot transformers use magnetic fields to walk, roll, sail, and glide

Rion Nakaya

The Star-Nosed Mole and its extraordinary nose

Rion Nakaya

The incredible, bendable, twistable, expandable elephant trunk

Rion Nakaya

The Dodder Vine Sniffs Out Its Prey

Rion Nakaya

The Corpse Flower: Behind the Stink of the Titan Arum

Rion Nakaya

Get smart curated videos delivered to your inbox.