During the past century, diatoms have been studied by chemists, who have found that they have several beneficial uses. 

• Diatoms are able to fight their predators by creating a chemical to kill their young by stopping cell division, and scientists believe this chemical could be used to fight cancer. 

• Scientists also analyzed ancient fossilized diatoms and used them to learn about the history of the Dust Bowl, which they discovered to be a commonly dry and barren area. 

• Diatoms are also able to create silica at room temperature, something mankind is still unable to do. 

• They are also used as an important ingredient in dynamite, which makes it safely transportable. 

• Also, they retain information about the water that they have lived in, which makes them useful for analyzing dead bodies discovered in the water. 

• Similarly, fossilized diatoms have also been used to determine the location where prehistoric pottery was created.

Despite having many good uses, diatoms can also be harmful to the area they live in. When they die in large numbers, they can sometimes create a slime that will make fishing nearly impossible in the nearby area. Also, if a large number of diatoms live in an area, they can upset the balance of silica and nitrogen, causing a dramatic decrease in the available oxygen for marine life in the area. The excess nitrogen often comes from fertilizer runoff, or improperly treated water. Since there is no oxygen left in the water for fish to breathe, they all leave and there are no fish for the fishermen to catch, which ruins their industry.