toxicodendron radicansAug 29, 2018

Petrichor, that fresh aroma you can smell after the rain, is caused by a little molecule called geosmin. The name literally means "earth smell." It's produced by soil bacteria and gives an earthy flavour to beets.

Humans are extremely sensitive to this scent – much, much more sensitive than sharks are to blood. Some think we evolved that way to find fresh drinking water after droughts.

Show threadJesse Lex
@InvaderXan I tried having a beer in the room while taking a shower, but it didn't work. Giving the beet a good sniff gave me some short term smile, though.
Aug 30, 2018 at 8:10pmTusky
Show threadJesse LexAug 30, 2018
@InvaderXan Beet! I meant having a BEET in the room. . .gah!
Show threadtoxicodendron radicansAug 30, 2018

@screwjaw Well, the way it works in nature is that on a hot day, the soil gets hot and dry. This kills off the bacteria in it and the dead bacteria dry up and fall apart. Then when the soil gets wet, it releases that sweet, sweet geosmin aroma.

I'm not sure how well you could artificially replicate that though. 😋

Show threadJesse LexAug 30, 2018
@InvaderXan So dehydrate the beet first? Interesting. . .. i know someone who likes to dehydrate stuff. FOR SCIENCE! LOL!
Show threadtoxicodendron radicansAug 30, 2018
@screwjaw Well, you could use a beet if you want, but beets have all kinds of other flavour compounds. If you're just trying to get geosmin, a little dry mud would suffice.
Show threadJesse LexAug 30, 2018
@InvaderXan Mud is dirty. LOL