If you live in the countryside, you must have smelled the earthy scent as raindrops hit dry soil. Now, a new study has revealed it’s not just humans who are attracted to this pleasant earthy scent. The incredible smell is released when the rain comes in contact with an organic compound called geosmin, produced by a bacteria called Streptomyces. To unlock the mystery, the team carried out experiments that revealed springtails, soil-dwelling arthropods also get attracted to the smell and eat the Streptomyces that produces it. So, whenever you smell the earth scent next time, you can enjoy the fact that what you’re smelling is an entire circle of life in its little way.
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