  Water offers a large temperature domain of stable liquid, and the
characteristic hydrophobic effects are first a consequence of the temperature
insensitivity of equation-of-state features of the aqueous medium, compared to
other liquids. On this basis, the known aqueous media and conditions offer low
risk compared to alternatives as a matrix to which familiar molecular
biological structures and processes have adapted. The current molecular-scale
understanding of hydrophobic hydration is not conformant in detail with a
standard structural entropy rationalization. That classic pictorial explanation
may serve as a mnemonic, but isn't necessary. A more defensible view is that
peculiar hydrophobic effects can be comprehended by examination of engineering
parameters characterizing liquid water.
