Diatoms are these cute little aquatic, single-celled, algae-like phytoplanktons. They photosynthesize, making food from sunlight and producing oxygen from carbon dioxide. Instead of constructing cell walls from cellulose or phospholipids like plants and animals, they make cell walls out of silica -- glass! This little glass house is called a frustule. Each frustules is distinct for each species of diatom, and when the diatom dies and decomposes, its silica house remains.
Check it out!
This is a dead diatom called Actinocyclus.
Here's one that is still alive!
But that's not the best part. There are some people who like diatoms so much they will PAY people to collect them and arrange them into pretty little shapes...
And some of these shapes get completely crazy
Wait, it gets better!
This last one is from the late 19th century when collectors first started commissioning and paying people for little arrangements of these single-celled plankton. This one actually has butterfly scales in it as well.
Isn't that crazy?! For Elements this year, I am planning on making an attempt at constructing my own diatom image. I'll let you know when that happens, of course!
You can take a full tour of cool diatom images here!
But I have one more before I go
Soooo COOL!
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