Wouldn't this provide some evidence for the theory that going into the rain would make you more susceptible to get sick? The range might be limited to close quarters but what about the residual germs and/or viruses that might remain and be aerated again by other raindrops?<p>It would amaze me to see the aerated particles over time to see if they can be aerated again.
the title for the post article is unfortunate, rain gets its distinctive smell largely from geosmin: <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geosmin" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geosmin</a><p>this is just the mechanism by which rain's smell is particularly <i>intense</i>.
I wonder if this is the same mechanisms that releases smells from your hair when you first put your head in the shower and have some strong or notable scents in your hair. One of my favorite parts about coming home from camping trips is showering and smelling the campfire smell again when my hair gets wet.
I'm impressed with how well they make their research public. This could have just been some people with a high speed camera and some mathematical models answering a curiosity and releasing a paper. Like this they present it in a way that even primary schoolers can understand, and even manage to link it to current affairs in the end. 👍
> “Until now, people didn’t know that aerosols could be generated from raindrops on soil,” Youngsoo Joung, a postdoctoral student who worked on the research, said in a statement.<p>Um, wat? I can't count the number of times I've seen a raindrop or water in general kick up dust, which is also an aerosol: a colloidal suspension of particles dispersed in air or gas. So I find this statement a little surprising.<p>Sure, the mechanism of bubbles inside a raindrop may be new, but rain kicking stuff into the atmosphere is pretty unsurprising. In AZ, I know several "desert field trips" I went on as a child had us pick Creosote leaves, rub the leaves, and smell the oils released. Voila, rain smell (at least if you're around creosote plants).
Ever walked barefoot on the grass early in the morning when it is soaked with dew. I think there is a lot going on their to give a very distinct smell, which we can all relate to.