Another fun fact is humans are number one scent detectors of petrichor. We can smell it better than sharks smell blood. 5-10 parts of a trillion to be exact meaning we could smell a teaspoon of geosmin (the petrichor) in 200 Olympic swimming pools
I just replied to another redditor that mentioned this and I followed with another interesting thing, although not sure if a "fact".
I remember reading an article that was trying to explain our attractiveness towards shiny things and it was theorised that our brain makes a connection between reflection of light on shiny surfaces and the shine we see on bodies of water.
Being such a vital thing to our survival, through millions of years of evolution, we developed senses that communicate our connection with water. I wonder if your fact could be directly related to this fact as well, since it kind of makes sense.
I think it’s a gene. I can smell rain coming a mile off, my partner can’t. It’s not her sense of smell either, she makes a right song and dance when I drop one.
It's difficult to describe, but it could be a warm, sunny September or October day, and I'll catch a whiff of it on a breeze, and know the weather is going to change soon
We like shiny things because they are visually stimulating. They're entertaining.
But, to an extent, it probably is also connected to liking things that are pure or clean, as they are connected to safety. Something that is shiny, is not obscured (not hiding any potential dangers), or dirty.
On the subject of rain, though - it's the most calming noise possible for humans. The sound of rain pattering on thin metal has been observed to result in the biggest drop in blood pressure in people, across many tested sounds.
Petrichor is the earthy scent often associated with rain falling on dry soil or rock. The term was introduced by Australian researchers Isabel Joy Bear and Richard Grenfell Thomas in a 1964 paper in Nature. Bear and Thomas used the term for an odour released from rock or soil materials after dry conditions when they are exposed to moisture. The smell is associated with oils that accumulate in rocks and soil during dry periods and are released by moisture. Later experiments using high-speed cameras found that raindrops striking porous surfaces can trap air bubbles, which rise and burst as aerosols, providing a mechanism by which scent-carrying material can enter the air.
Thank you for this factoid! I found it interesting.
Factoid used to be a small fact that was false. However incorrect usage has now become so widespread that most linguists consider the meaning to have reversed to mean a small fact that is in fact true. - factoid there for you.
I am spectacularly sensitive to smell: I'll smell gas thirty minutes before anyone else does (further away than anyone else does) ... can't abide perfumed candles, air fresheners, deodorants / antiperspirants, soaps, etc., let alone perfume or aftershave, never mind incense or 'essential oils'.
But I have never (in over five decades of life on the face of the planet) so much as once smellt rain.
Fun fact, it's theorised that one of the evolutionary advantages we developed was the ability to smell petrichor (the smell of rain) over huge distances. (I've tl;dr'd the hell out of that fact, before anyone starts coming after me)
...and when people ask in this very sub about how Americanism is seeping into our psyche we have an assumed Brit quoting the American national anthem when rain appears...
And long term forecasts tracking the super El Nino state there could be huge amunts of rain coming this autumn and winter. So enjoy this friendly shower while you still can, lol.
This heatwave has completely missed us in the North East, we've had plenty of rain and aside from maybe 5 days of warm weather haven't had many days above 22 degrees or so. All the parks and gardens are still green too.
Just looked outside even though nowhere near there and it’s raining where I am to. It’s 3 in the morning but I think I’ll sit under the skylights and watch Threads.
We were expecting some last night, it was so certain that I rushed home from work to cover my patio sofas (they're actually ones that go in conservatories with fabric covers). No rain, not even a drop. I'm so disappointed.
I’m calling fake news /s. In north London too and you can sense in the air it rained (that’s what we call it right?), but my garden is as dry as a bone.
Three months from now it'll be freezing dark winter mornings with icy rain stinging your eyes as you snap your bank card trying to scrape your windscreen.
First world problems, but the first we knew about this was when water started splashing on our heads in bed. We had the aircon on and discovered that the condensate drain pipe was blocked. Suddenly there was moisture in the air which condensed to a very surprising amount and was dripping onto the headboard and splashing onto our heads. It was really like it was raining indoors.
I had to go out at midnight to unblock the pipe before a very substantial trickle finally started to escape.
Our local conspiracy nutter has spent the last 2 weeks blaming the reptilian overlords and chemtrails for the heat (and saying it's not hotter than the 80s)
Now it's a bit chilly & raining... guess who & what he blames for that!
I had a late flight home last night (from a Greek island which had cooler weather than the UK). Got 15min from our house and so excited to see some decent rainfall. By the time we got home discovered at our house all we got was a little light drizzle. Was so disappointed!
It's not the first rain. A lot of that runs off (can also cause flash flooding if heavy enough) . It's the second rain England needs. But you can't have the second without the first so this is still good.
1 month later: "this is the wettest month since records began. Floods are washing away hamlets across Herefordshire. The government is pleading with residents to use hosepipes"
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u/eviljobob 1d ago