CELL THEORY GUIDE QUESTIONS

Please answer the following:

1. How did the cell theory came about?

-The invention of the microscope led to the discovery of the cell by Hooke. While looking at cork, Hooke
observed box-shaped structures, which he called “cells” as they reminded him of the cells, or rooms, in
monasteries. This discovery led to the development of the classical cell theory.

2. What are the 3 tenets in the cell theory?

-The 3 tenets in the cell theory are “All living organism are made of one or more cells, “Cells are the
basic structural units of all organisms, and lastly is the “All cells originate from pre existing cells”.

3. Which is the most controversial statement in the cell theory and be able to
explain why?

-The most controversial statement in the cell theory is “All cells originate from pre existing cells” because
it went against a very widely held belief that cells arose spontaneously and it was also very difficult to
prove which it wasn’t until experiments were performed by Louis Pasteur where the scientific community
was finally able to recognize the theory of spontaneous generation was not correct and that cells arose
only from pre-existing cells. Most people don’t think of the cell theory when they think of Louis Pasteur
instead they immediately think of pasteurization which is a widely used commercial technique that we
implement to help protect our food but he did indeed prove or atleast in most people’s minds convinced
that spontaneous generation was incorrect using swan-neck flash experiment where he boiled broth and
proved organisms must grow from pre-existing organisms. Today, this topic spontaneous generation is
still debated amongst many prominent scientist in the scientific community.

4. Identify at least 10 cytologists and their contributions in the discovery of cell and
cell theory.

 Robert Hooke- English Scientist who looked at cork using a crude compound microscope,
observed many tiny boxes and coined the term "cell" after tiny rooms, and was seeing the walls of
dead cells, not living cells. Discovered and named the cell after developing a compound light
microscope.
 Anton Van Leeuwenhoek- Improved the compound light microscope by developing better
lenses and was the first to observe and describe microorganisms which he originally referred to as
"animalcules" considered to be first microbiologist.
 Matthias Schleiden- Proposed that all plant parts are made of cells and that an embryonic plant
organism arises from the one cell. Co-founder of the cell theory.
  Theodor Schwann- German Scientist who observed animal tissue; stated cells were the building
blocks of both plant and animal cells, noted many similarities between plant and animal cells,
stated that there were many different types of cells.
 Rudolf Virchow- German Physician who explained and proposed that omnis cellula e cellula,
which translates to each cell comes from another cell, and which became a fundamental concept
for cell theory.
 Hans and Zacharias Jansen- credited with making the first compound light microscope.
 Robert Brown- One of the earliest detailed descriptions of the nucleus of the cell and
cytoplasmic streaming in plant cells.
 Louis Pasteur- officially disproved spontaneous generation, developed and experimented to
prove the germ theory of disease, explained fermentation by microorganism, invented
pasteurization, and developed vaccinations for rabies and anthrax.
 Francesco Redi- First person to challenge the theory of spontaneous generation by
demonstrating that maggots come from eggs of flies. first to explain ectoparasites.
 Girolamo Fracastoro- was the first scientific statement of the true nature of contagion, infection,
disease germs, and modes of disease transmission.

5. Explain the Modern cell theory.

-Into the modern cell theory the first edition really represents research that scientists are now able to do a
multicellular organisms that they have now been able to truly appreciate that it is billion and trillion of
cells working together to allow a very complex organism to function the way that it does energy flow is
something that sizes are looking at a very molecular and micro-level the cells contain a redditor
information we knows to be true of dna.The traditional interpretation of the modern cell theory starts with
the premise that all life is made up of one or more cells, that cells are the basic building blocks of life, that
all cells are the result of the division of pre-existing cells, that the cell is the unit of structure and
arrangement in all living organisms, and that the cell has a dual existence as both a singular, distinct
entity and as a fundamental building block in the framework of all living organisms.