Imagine trying to live in a world dominated by dihydrogen oxide, a
compound that has no taste or smell and is so viable in its properties
that it is generally benign but at other times swiftly lethal.
Depending on its state, it can scald you or freeze you. In the
presence of certain organic molecules it can form carbonic acids so
nasty that they can strip the leaves from trees and eat the faces off
statuary.  In bulk, when agitated, it can strike with a fury that no
human edifice could withstand. Even for those who have learned to live
with it, it is often murderous substance. We call it water.
