An example of an historical alternative conception:
"According to Aristotle, dew was a form of gently falling invisible rain produced in the atmosphere by the cold of the night. The resemblance between drops of dew and pearls led to the ancient theory that pearls were congealed dew. Oysters, it was supposed, left their beds at night and rose to the surface to catch a dewdrop. With the passage of time these drops hardened into pearls."
Brown, G. Burniston (1950) Science. Its method and its philosophy. London. George Allen & Unwin Ltd.
