Sorry if I got the flair wrong, I actually don’t even know what kind of science is at play here!
In: Chemistry
In addition to the other comments, there is a term called [capillary action](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capillary_action) which is the ability of a liquid to flow into narrow spaces without help from external forces such as gravity, or even against them. This is why water for instance, can climb up a napkin or paper towel.
Not every liquid works the same way. Mercury for instance, does not absorb into sponges. [These ](https://youtu.be/PWCx3faQSfQ) two [videos](https://youtu.be/X3g3ODDP9dU) by Taofledermaus take a hit of a look into why that is. As he mentions in one of the videos, and two of the other comments mentioned, it’s not because sponges have holes. Making bigger holes doesn’t mean the mercury is absorbed, it just sits inside the holes. Sponges work because they have LOTS of teeny tiny, LITTLE holes, surrounded by tons and tons of fibers. Water can cling to all the little fibers and gets pulled up through the capillary action I mentioned earlier. Relatively speaking, at least. The spaces themselves are pretty small overall, but are large in comparison to the surrounding fibers. The water does need somewhere to go after all.
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