Name a common embedding medium other than paraffin.

Acrylic resin is a commonly used embedding medium in histotechnology aside from paraffin. It is particularly valued for its ability to provide excellent clarity and support for fine cellular structures. Acrylic resins offer a higher degree of hardness and are beneficial when sectioning very thin slices of tissue for microscopy. They are often utilized in specialized histopathological techniques, such as immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy, due to their superior properties for preserving tissue morphology and antigenicity.

Other options listed do not serve as practical embedding mediums in histopathology. Water is not suitable as an embedding medium because it does not provide the necessary support as tissues are dehydrated and fixed for sectioning. Sand lacks the properties required for supporting biological samples and does not allow for the fine detail necessary in histological analysis. These limitations make acrylic resin an ideal choice when a different embedding medium is required.