What’s That “Fall Smell” and Why Do We Love It?

Thank you to Target for supporting PBS. You can learn more at: https://target.com/community
Share your story today: https://to.pbs.org/3izZeXh

We asked people across the country “What does fall mean to you?,” and most of them couldn’t stop talking about fall smells. So what’s the chemistry behind those smells, and why do they make us so happy? #fall #smell #autumn

You might also like:
That Fresh Cut Grass Scent is Really a Signal of Distress
https://youtu.be/suGk8eZyN34

How Did Climate Change Help Turn the Sky Orange?
https://youtu.be/foeLC08-nrk

Why Does Humidity Feel Gross?
https://youtu.be/GtmOlpbkQDw

Why Do Leaves Change Color?
https://youtu.be/X0nWmTeQPfo

How to Survive the Snow and Ice
https://youtu.be/KOtVJxQXBNM


Credits:
Executive Producers:
George Zaidan
Hilary Hudson

Producers:
Elaine Seward
Darren Weaver

Writer/Host:
Samantha Jones, PhD

Scientific consultants:
Lelia Duman, PhD
Rachel Herz, PhD
Steven D. Munger, PhD
Brianne Raccor, PhD

Sources:
The scent of a season: Explaining the aromas of fall
https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2018/10/19/scent-season-explaining-aromas-fall/

The Science Behind The Smell Of Fall
https://www.theodysseyonline.com/does-october-really-have-smell

The science behind the smell of fall
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/the-smell-of-fall-1.5265513#:~:text=The%20dominant%20earthy%20smells%20of,smell%20of%20a%20leaf%20pile.

It’s One of Autumn’s Best Scents, but Not Everyone Smells It
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/26/science/katsura-leaves-scent.html

Why Do We Smell the Change of Seasons?
https://gizmodo.com/why-do-we-smell-the-change-of-seasons-1735548623

The Real Reason Why Fall Air Has a Unique Smell
https://bestlifeonline.com/fall-smell-causes/?nab=1&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F

Why Fall Feels Different in the Bay Area
https://baynature.org/article/fall-feels-different-bay-area-smell-change/

Fall smells around the world
https://www.michiganradio.org/post/what-fall-smells-michigan-and-around-world

Rose compounds
https://science.sciencemag.org/content/349/6243/81.long

The Smells of Fall
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/17089/smells-fall

Produced by the American Chemical Society. Join the American Chemical Society! http://bit.ly/Join_acsmembership

Próximo episódio

S08E01 - The Science of Kombucha