Norwich - Scientists believe they have found the gene which leads camels to water in the desert. Researchers in Norwich say it is similar to the gene that allows humans to detect the subtle scent of freshly-turned earth.
They hope that the discovery could have a practical use in the production of medicines and chemicals.
Experts at the John Innes Centre in Norwich say the earthy smell is caused by geosmin, a chemical produced by a common bacterium - streptomyces coelicolor - found in most soils.
"The smell of streptomyces may be a matter of life and death to the camel but these bacteria are also of enormous importance to humans as they are a major source of the antibiotics we use in medicine," said Professor Keith Chater, head of molecular microbiology at the John Innes Centre.
"This discovery was made using a technique that will allow us to better understand how streptomyces makes the chemicals that are so important to us."
He added: "Our discovery may seem a bit trivial but it demonstrates that we can now unravel how all the genes in this important bacteria work. The discovery is not as useless as it first seems.
"Gardeners may delight in the smell of geosmin in freshly-turned soil but the smell is less welcome when it is produced by pharmaceutical factories that are growing streptomyces to produce antibiotics. By shutting down the bacteria's ability to produce geosmin we can make the factories less smelly neighbours."
The discovery of the gene was reported in the science journal, Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The USA." - Sapa-DPA