system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Why do leaves not degrade when placed inside the pages of a book?
gpt
Effectively they mummify. If you remove the water most biological materials don't decay. Paper will absorb moisture and it slowly dissipates out into the environment while the book keeps the leaf (or flower) flat instead of crinkling up like dry leaves in woodland.