Chemistry

Seasonings slow food spoilage not by killing microorganisms, but by stealing their water. Salt and spice molecules bind with free water in food, lowering its 'water activity.' Even if water is present, microbes cannot use it.

Pufferfish venom blocks sodium channels in nerves, while monkshood venom activates them. Because the two poisons work in opposite ways, taking them together delays their effects. In 1986, a murderer in Japan exploited this principle to delay the time of death and fabricate an alibi.

Pure water is an insulator. Electricity passes through water not because of the water itself, but because of dissolved ions. Tap water conducts electricity well because it contains ions like chlorine from disinfection.