What is a DIATOM?

DIATOM (Greek - cut in two) a mobile plant of microscopic single cell or colonial algae. Among the relatively simple forms of microscopic life are animals that cannot move and plants that can. One class of these mobile plants is known by the name of diatoms. A favorite subject in many general biology or botany classes, the diatoms also occupy the geology students because diatoms have been inhabitants of both fresh and salt waters for at least 15,000,000 possibly over 20,000,000 years. As living plants they serve as food stuff for animals as small as themselves and for the largest whales. As fossils their siliceous skeletons form the substance of diatomaceous earth, once less accurately called kieseiguhr, now generally mined, refined and sold as DIATOMITE. Diatoms reproduce by self-division - as suggested by the name - under ideal conditions each diatom may divide every eight hours. In thirty days a single diatom my produce ten billion descendents. In the course of growth a diatom ...  more

Any of a class of minute planktonic unicellular or colonial algae with silicified skeletons that form diatomite. Forensic scientists can study these to detrmine exactly what body of water a specific diatom is from.  more