(PhysOrg.com) -- "For years, we have been using laser cooling to trap and manipulate atoms," David DeMille tells PhysOrg.com. "This has been very useful for both basic science and many applications. Recently there has been ...
Diatoms—tiny phytoplankton that are responsible for a fifth of all energy converted into matter by plants—may have become important much earlier in the development of Earth's ocean ecosystems and carbon cycle than previously ...
Earth Sciences
Jun 29, 2021
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1035
Scientists have discovered that marine diatoms, tiny phytoplankton abundant in the sea, have an animal-like urea cycle, and that this cycle enables the diatoms to efficiently use carbon and nitrogen from their environment.
Cell & Microbiology
May 11, 2011
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0
In the May 7 edition of Physical Review Letters an international team led by University of Delaware researchers reports new findings about helium that may lead to more accurate standards for how temperature and pressure are ...
General Physics
May 17, 2010
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0
Engineers at Oregon State University have discovered a way to use an ancient life form to create one of the newest technologies for solar energy, in systems that may be surprisingly simple to build compared to existing silicon-based ...
Nanomaterials
Apr 8, 2009
1
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- The evolutionary history of diatoms -- abundant oceanic plankton that remove billions of tons of carbon dioxide from the air each year -- needs to be rewritten, according to a new Cornell study. The findings ...
Jan 8, 2009
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0
A multidisciplinary team of researchers from Skoltech has discovered the resonance frequencies of diatom frustules. These intricately structured silicon dioxide shells of single-celled microalgae provide a promising model ...
Optics & Photonics
Dec 13, 2023
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19
Diatoms are an important group of red lineage species in the oceans that produce about 20% of the Earth's primary productivity. Unlike green algae and higher plants, diatom photosystems bind fucoxanthin-chlorophyll a/c binding ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 30, 2023
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1
A new study has revealed how the glass-like shells of diatoms help these microscopic organisms perform photosynthesis in dim conditions. A better understanding of how these phytoplankton harvest and interact with light could ...
Optics & Photonics
Nov 22, 2022
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77
While calcifying organisms like oysters and corals have difficulty forming their shells and skeletons in more acidic seawater, diatoms have been considered less susceptible to the effects of ocean acidification—a chemical ...
Environment
May 25, 2022
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160
Diatoms (Greek: διά (dia) = "through" + τέμνειν (temnein) = "to cut", i.e., "cut in half") are a major group of eukaryotic algae, and are one of the most common types of phytoplankton. Most diatoms are unicellular, although they can exist as colonies in the shape of filaments or ribbons (e.g. Fragillaria), fans (Meridion), zigzags (Tabellaria), or stellate colonies (Asterionella). Diatoms are producers within the food chain. A characteristic feature of diatom cells is that they are encased within a unique cell wall made of silica (hydrated silicon dioxide) called a frustule. These frustules show a wide diversity in form, some quite beautiful and ornate, but usually consist of two asymmetrical sides with a split between them, hence the group name. Fossil evidence suggests that they originated during, or before, the early Jurassic Period. Diatom communities are a popular tool for monitoring environmental conditions, past and present, and are commonly used in studies of water quality. Scientists specializing in their study are sometimes called diatomists.
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