Tiny Diatoms Boast Enormous Strength

Diatoms are single-celled algae organisms, around 30 to 100 millionths of a meter in diameter, that are ubiquitous throughout the oceans. These creatures are encased within a hard shell shaped like a wide, flattened cylinder--like a tambourine--that is made of silica. Researchers in the lab of Julia Greer, professor of materials science and mechanics in Caltech's Division of Engineering and Applied Science, have recently found that these shells have the highest specific strength--the strength at which a structure breaks with respect to its density--of any known biological material, including bone, antlers, and teeth. The findings have been published in the February 9 issue of Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

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