# Lounge > Science and Technology >  >  Why Does Rain Smell Good?

## Sagan

Elizabeth Palermo,  

Do you love the good smell of rain? If so, you're not alone. 

In fact, some scientists believe that people inherited their  affection for the scent of rain from ancestors who relied on rainy  weather for their survival. 

But what makes rain smell so nice? There are several scents associated with rainfall that people find pleasing. 

One of these odors, called "petrichor," lingers when rain falls  after a prolonged dry spell. Petrichor â the term was coined in 1964 by  two Australian scientists studying the smells of wet weather â is  derived from a pair of chemical reactions. 

Some plants secrete oils during dry periods, and when it rains,  these oils are released into the air. The second reaction that creates  petrichor occurs when chemicals produced by soil-dwelling bacteria known  as actinomycetes are released. These aromatic compounds combine to  create the pleasant petrichor scent when rain hits the ground. 

more 
http://www.livescience.com/37648-goo...petrichor.html

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## Antidote

I do think there's hardly anything that smells as fresh and clean as rain but getting rained on and having damp clothes kind of ruins it for me. I only really like rain when I'm in bed / cosy and the window's open so I can hear and smell it.

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## kc1895

I enjoy the smell of rain when its fresh.  But if its been raining for a couple of days, it smells like "wet dog" outside.  Not pleasant at all.

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## whiteman

It never rains in the pacific northwest

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## WintersTale

Interesting.

I've always loved the smell of rain.  ::):

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## Member11

Rains are the best, especially a long walk late at night in a storm. Awesome.  ::):

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