Diatoms: Glass-Shelled Algae, Oxygen and Everyday Uses
Journey to the Microcosmos · Explainer · 8 min · 2019 · YouTube title: Diatoms: Tiny Factories You Can See From Space
Why it's here
HN commenters recommend the series as an excellent, accessible introduction to microscopic life, using this episode as the diatom primer.
What it covers
An episode of Journey to the Microcosmos, hosted by Hank Green, about diatoms, single-celled algae with glass shells. It covers their role in producing a large share of Earth's oxygen and their uses in beer filtering, paint and kitty litter.