Plankton Pills

When is a grain of sand not a grain of sand? When it’s a single-celled plant, or diatom, with a casing made from silica [the chemical that forms sand and glass]. Diatoms, a kind of plankton, are in the ‘nano’ scale: a thousand times smaller than a grain of sand, but their shells (pictured) have a level of sophistication that current day nanotechnologists can only dream of. The regular-shaped holes are of particular interest: if the size can be standardised then diatoms could be used for controlled drug delivery. Scientists could also take advantage of the remarkable light-bending property of these holes, creating medicines that are inactive until triggered by a laser. What's more, coating diatoms with a magnetic substance would allow them to be guided, with pinpoint accuracy, to where they are needed. Perhaps, one day, the humble diatom will give us smarter medicines.

Written by Julie Webb

Julie Webb

Writer

Julie began her career as a researcher in genetics. In 2000 she won a Wellcome Trust award for her work on a collaborative science drama, staged at the Edinburgh Festival. She now works as a freelance science writer and communicator.

• Image by Anne Weston, an entrant in the Society of Biology 2012 Photography competition
• Part of the Society of Biology's 'Biology Week'
• Image provided by the Society of Biology
• Research published in Journal of Biomaterials Applications 28(2): 163-74