Wednesday, October 7No. 37

Nature

Honey can stay preserved for centuries.

Honey is low in water and quite acidic, and bees add an enzyme that slowly releases hydrogen peroxide. Bacteria and mold struggle to survive in that mix. Archaeologists in Georgia found honey residue in clay pots from a tomb more than 4,700 years old. (The popular story about edible honey in Egyptian tombs, though, is a myth.)