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Honey lasts because almost nothing can live in it. There is little water free for microbes, the sugar is high, and the acidity is unfriendly. Archaeologists have found jars of honey in ancient tombs that had not spoiled in any ordinary sense. Sweetness, here, is also a preservative. The jar is doing chemistry, not magic.

Honey keeps because it is a poor place for bacteria, not because it is enchanted.

The Science Behind Honey's Eternal Shelf Life · Smithsonian Magazine · 2013 · Factapp

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Liquid water is heaviest at about 4 degrees Celsius, not at the freezing point. As a lake cools toward winter, the 4-degree water sinks and the colder water stays above it. Ice then forms on the surface and insulates the water below. Fish are not surviving a miracle. They are living under a density quirk that puts the ice on top.

Water's odd density is why a lake freezes from the top and stays alive underneath.

Water Density · U.S. Geological Survey · Year unknown · Factapp

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