Anthropology

Diatoms provide key evidence for forensic investigations of suspected drowning deaths. As a person drowns, they inhale water into the lungs. This water, along with any microscopic animals floating around, gets taken up by the bloodstream and circulated around to the internal organs. Following drowning, Diatoms are known to aggregate in the bone marrow (especially the long bones such as the femur). These microscopic creatures are particularly critical in autopsies.