| Water is integral and vital part of our daily life, | | | | jostling past one another. The sudden increase in area |
| environment and nature. Water is the primary reason | | | | required to fit the same number of molecules means |
| of life existing on the Earth. Thus, the suggestion of | | | | water becomes expands as it freezes, causing water |
| water having changed its properties would inevitably | | | | pipes to burst as the ice inside of them runs out of |
| lead to drastic consequences on Earth. Life on our | | | | room. Most materials occupy less space as they |
| planet arose in an aquatic environment and most likely | | | | solidify. As overall temperature and kinetic energy |
| in the littoral zone where sunlight fully penetrates. In a | | | | decrease; the resultant crystalline array usually |
| world where ice sank, these shallow areas would be | | | | assumes a form more like a stack of boxes than a |
| the first to freeze over completely. Would the first | | | | crowd of rowdy schoolchildren. We have an obvious |
| photosynthetic algae have survived a winter? Would | | | | bias towards water-based life, derived largely from its |
| marine life survive an ice age? Perhaps our landscape | | | | ideal properties. If ice were denser than water, the |
| would be populated by survivors from other | | | | oceans would gradually freeze from the bottom up, |
| biospheres, such as land-dwelling descendants of the | | | | never having a chance to melt. Under such |
| tube worms that live in underwater hydrothermal | | | | circumstances, water would no longer function as the |
| vents. | | | | cradle of life, and our first ancestors would have been |
| Water may exist in a freer form than previously | | | | as likely to crawl out of a puddle of liquid ammonia. |
| thought, with water molecules constantly linking and | | | | What would life on this plant be like if ice sank instead |
| unlinking, much like children playing games in a crowded | | | | of floating? Shrunken ice cubes would be certainly be |
| schoolyard. As water cools and begins to freeze, the | | | | easier to remove from the tray, but both the beverage |
| molecules can be thought of children laying flat with | | | | and the holder of the cocktail glass would be |
| hands and feet outstretched - they occupy much | | | | completely different! |
| more room than the same children in motion, sliding and | | | | |