Two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen equals water. A group of these tiny molecules holds the ability to create life or even cause devastating destruction. Water is essential for life for a variety of reasons. This liquid supports cell functions to occur, helps maintain homeostasis, transports nutrients, and flushes waste. However, there may be a property of water most people do not know of; its ability to hold memories. 

No, it does not have a brain and cannot recall memories like the time it became mold in a metal water bottle in a biology class, but water can retain a specific type of memory. A French immunologist, Jacques Benveniste, coined the term “water memory.” Water memory is the idea that water remembers substances that have previously been dissolved in it after the water has been diluted multiple times. 

But what does this mean for society? It may seem like a frivolous or unimportant fun fact, but this fact potentially helps advance all scientific areas of study. Knowing that water has this function allows scientists to analyze frozen water molecules trapped in asteroids and comets. This alone could not only prove life on other planets but also share the genetic material that could be stored in the water. New genetic material could have major impacts on society. 

In the medical industry, the discovery of fresh DNA could lead to curing currently incurable diseases such as Tourette’s Syndrome or Alzheimer’s. Another way life on Earth could drastically change is the improvement of standards of living through new technology with the uncovering of new metals or chemicals. 

Water changes state and shape based on outside factors like temperature or environment, but the discovery of water memory has the potential to change the way humanity lives.