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The Smell of Dirt
A lot of people love that fresh-dirt smell. The surprising thing, though, is that it isn’t coming from the dirt itself.
不少人喜歡聞新鮮泥土的芬芳，出人意料的是芬芳不是來自泥土本身，
Microbiologists have traced the pleasant odor to an organic chemical called “ geosmin“.”
微生物學家尋根溯源，發現宜人的香味是來自有機化學物：土臭素。
No way! But how does geosmin get into dirt?
這不可能！土臭素怎么鉆進泥土的呢？
A microbial geneticist named Keith Chater at the John Innes Center in England has traced geosmin down to a common bacterium called Streptomyces coelicolor.
Keith Chater 是英國John Innes中心的一名微生物遺傳學者，他發現一種常見的叫藍色鏈霉菌的細菌可以分泌土臭素。
He even found out exactly which gene in the little critters causes them to produce geosmin.
他甚至還能確定藍色鏈霉菌中哪種基因產生土臭素。
No way! A bacterium is producing the chemical that smells so good?
沒可能啊！細菌能分泌好聞的化學物質？
Interestingly enough, there are unconfirmed reports that animals are attracted to fresh dirt in the desert, and go there looking for water.
有趣的還不止這個，有報道還稱沙漠動物就是靠新鮮泥土的芬芳尋找水源，不過有待考證。
As they nose around the dirt, they pick up plenty of S. coelicolor,
動物們找尋綠洲的同時，成為大量藍色鏈霉菌的媒介，
which then hitch a ride from one oasis to the next.
搭載藍色鏈霉菌游曳綠洲間。
If it’s true, then the bacteria in general may create the odor in order to attract animals.
如果藍色鏈霉菌普遍散發香氣吸引動物，
The animals find water, the bacteria are spread, and everyone is happy.
動物尋找到水源；而藍色鏈霉菌也能因此繁衍，這不是雙贏嗎？
