Why do we love the smell after it has rained?

Nabhan, Daugherty, and Hartung report that “Desert dwellers know it well: the smell of rain and the feeling of euphoria that comes when a storm washes over the parched earth. That feeling, and the health benefits that come with it, may be the result of oils and other chemicals released by desert plants after a good soaking. . . . ‘The Sonoran Desert flora is one of the richest in the world in plants that emit fragrant volatile oils, and…

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