CELL DISCOVERY

THE DISCOVERY OF CELLS

ROBERT HOOKE In 1665 Thin piece of cork (the outer surface of bark from a tree) Cork made of hundreds of little boxes, giving it the appearance of a honeycomb.. CELLS

ROBERT BROWN, 1833 DISCOVERED THE NUCLEUS AS THE CENTRAL PART OF THE CELL

MATTHIAS SCHLEIDEN, 1838

BOTANIST STATED THAT CELLS ARE THE UNIT OF STRUCTURE IN PLANTS

THEODOR SCHWANN, 1939 ZOOLOGIST CELLS ARE THE UNIT OF STRUCTURE IN ANIMALS

CELL THEORY
Enunciated by Schleiden & Schwann: all living things are composed of cells Important extension by Rudolf Virchow: all living cells come from other living cell & that there is no spontaneous creation of cells from non living matter

THE CELL THEORY

THE CONCEPT THAT CELLS ARE THE BASIC UNITS OF LIFE

Main Ideas of the Cell Theory Cells form the building blocks of living organisms Cells arise only by the division of existing cells Cells contain inherited information which controls their activities

Main Ideas The cell is the functioning unit of life; metabolism (the chemical reactions of life) takes place in cells Given suitable conditions, cells are capable of independent existence

WHY ARENT CELLS LARGER?

Most animal cells are extremely small (10-30 micrometers) Acetabularia (algae) up to 5cm Multi-tasking: breaking down molecules for energy, producing substances that cells need, getting rid of wastes

WHY ARENT CELLS LARGER?

MOST CELLS ARE MICROSCOPICALLY SMALL, RESULTING IN A SURFACE AREA-TO-VOLUME RATIO SUFFICIENT TO MOVE SUBSTANCES ACROSS THEIR CELL MEMBRANES QUICKLY ENOUGH TO MEET THEIR NEEDS