In our humdrum life not many of us take time to think about the mysterious natural marvels around us of even simple, common, familiar everyday objects, which nevertheless provide the exceptions to the rules of natural laws.

For example, on mixing an opaque substance like sand (silica) with another opaque alkaline substance (sodium carbonate ), and heating to fuse these ingredients, a transparent material is generated, namely glass.

Or observe H2O (water/ice). It is common knowledge that materials expand when heated. Not so for H2O; water expands on freezing ! This explains the bursting of water pipes in cold climates.

And again we think of metallic objects as being firm and solid but mercury, a silver-grey shiny heavy metal flow like a fluid. Hence its popular name quick silver.

Dr Ethelwald Emilius Vella MD

Manikata