A closer look
Microscopic algae are out here building literal glass castles while you struggle to put together IKEA furniture. Diatoms are single-celled ocean drifters that protect themselves by constructing highly ornamented, porous shells called frustules. They use specialized proteins to pull dissolved silicic acid right out of the seawater, precipitating it into stunningly complex, nanometer-perfect silicon dioxide armor that is strong enough to snap the jaws of microscopic predators trying to eat them.
