Very interesting theory! I have wondered the same thing after seeing Toph kick total butt??by 'teaching herself' to bend metal under great pressure. She truly is 'the greatest earthbender in the world.' What more??can she do?
Something else I have thought about...did you know there is a Japanese scientist who has successfully been able to prove that 'water' responds to human thought and words? Seriously. His name is Dr. Masaru Emoto.??It is called??"Hado" in Japanese which means 'vibration.' (The book entitled 'The Hidden Messages in Water' by Dr. Masaru Emoto)
Hado also ties??in with Quantum Physics but that's a whole other discussion. However the theory behind 'Hado'??is that our thoughts and intentions placed upon or??near any body of water causes the water to absorb our intentions and reshape itself in real and recordable way. In this case through water crystalline photographs.
Here is a link to see some examples: http://www.hado.com.au/crystals.htm