An organism belonging to the diatom family, a type of single-celled algae with glass-like shells made of silica.
From diatom (from Greek dia- 'through' + temnein 'to cut') + -acean (suffix meaning 'belonging to'). The term evolved to classify organisms within the diatom group scientifically.
Diatoms are so abundant in oceans that they produce about half the oxygen we breathe—these microscopic algae are literally keeping us alive, and diatomaceans represent the foundational players in Earth's oxygen production.
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