Reverse Engineering the Ceramic Art of Algae

BIOMATERIALSNo one knows how the glasslike silica laceworks within the cell walls of diatoms are formed, but on page [1129][1], biochemists report new clues--silica-forming proteins dubbed silaffins that, when added to solutions of silicic acid, a silicon-containing organic compound, precipitate to form networks of minuscule silica spheres. Besides helping to explain how diatoms transform dissolved silicon-containing molecules into sturdy solid particles, the finding is also a tantalizing clue for materials scientists attempting to build sophisticated materials at ambient pressures and temperatures. [1]: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/short/286/5442/1129