Indeed, the silica exoskeletons enveloping diatoms have the highest specific strength of any biologically produced material, including bone, antlers, and teeth.

The diatom Guinardia. (Image credit: Elizabeth Ruck) Diatoms incorporate that silica into their beautifully ornamented glass cell walls, whose intricate patterns have captivated researchers for ...

Because diatoms rely on silica rather than calcium carbonate to build their shells, they were previously thought to benefit from ocean acidification -- a chemical change in seawater triggered by ...

The Young's modulus E of the diatom silica of a pleura was 22.4 GPa, which is comparable to cortical bone (20 GPa) 12 or medical dental composites (about 6–25 GPa) 13.

Recent work suggests that the silica fraction of grasses, phytoliths, play an important role in the delivery of dissolved silica to freshwater lakes. However, these ideas require examination. In order ...

Diatoms’ silica cell walls help drag the tiny carbon-bearing algae down into the ocean when they die. But acidifying oceans can lead to thinner walls. M.I. Walker/Science Source.

Diatoms have been discovered to be much tougher than what we initially thought. ... A diatom is encased in a wall made out of silica called frustules. Really, they are quite beautiful.

Diatom biosensor could shine light on future nanomaterials. by Pacific Northwest National LaboratoryPacific Northwest National Laboratory ...

“We measured a compressive E-modulus of the DNA-silica hybrids that was 10 times higher than pure DNA nanostructures, and the 3D frameworks were found to be rigid and flexible – like a spring.” In ...

Diatoms were thought to have grown progressively more abundant from the start of the Cenozoic Era, 66 million years ago, until today, Westacott said. The prevailing view was that the rise of diatoms ...

Diatoms turns a weird Victorian art craze into a solid competitive board game that also has a solo campaign. ... to 200 microns and that have colorful cell walls made of silica.