John - in theory you are probably correct. I'm not sure that your statement is sound: "That would seem to imply some kind of life to inorganic material." I'm not sure what you mean by "life". However "life" does utilize or incorporate inorganic elements such as calcium, iron, nitrogen, zinc, etc in the living cells, tissues, and organs that comprise living organisms.
Bill the DNA instruction in the specialized cell would utilize calcium for making bones but then if you took a sample of that bone you would find the complete instructions for say a dog in the bone if it was a dogs bone. And we would call that bone organic. So I guess I am thinking if you sampled the glass diatom valve would you find find the complete instructions for a diatom in a glass valve we would call inorganic? Maybe the glass valve is impregnated also with organic cells and if so then that might be a kind of life. I probably need to get off this subject but thanks for your reply's Bill.
