Glass fishing floats were once a common sight bobbing on the ocean surface, guiding fishermen to their catch. These beautiful orbs of glass served as markers for fishing nets, ensuring they were easily spotted and retrieved from the water. Made from blown glass, these floats were durable and able to withstand the harsh conditions of the open sea.
It is this hidden microscopic behavior of glass that makes glass such a curious vessel of beauty, which runs counter to everything we were taught as children about the state of matter. What we usually come into contact with is that matter has three states: solid, liquid, and gas. This is not unusual in any fanciful imagination. Still, glass is special.