General Biology1

Week 1
 1590’s
Hans and Zacharias
Janssen invented the
compound microscope
1674
Anton Van Leeuwenhoek became the
first to observe live cells. It became
possible for Leeuwenhoek to observe
cells – living cells – clearly because of
his invention, the microscope w/
improved lenses that could magnify
objects from 270 to 300-fold
1839
Theodor Schwann discovered and
stated that cells are the fundamental
units of animals.
1590
1665
1660 Robert Hooke discovered the cell
through his observation on a slice of
cork under the compound
microscope. The cork was made up
1670 of many tiny units of room like
structure which he named “Cell”.
1838
1830 Matthias Jakob Schleiden was the
first to state that cells are building
blocks of all plants and that
1835
embryonic plant arose from one
single cell.
1840
1855
Rudolf Virchow, a German
1850
physiologist stated that in German
“Omnis cellula e cellula” which
1860 means that new cells come from
already existing cells.
Week-1
 The Story of Cells
1665 – Robert Hooke
One day, he decided to look at thin slice of cork (bark of cork
tree). He noticed that the cork bark was filled with tiny room-like
structures. He named these structures cells.
 The Story of Cells
1674 – Antonie Van Leeuwenhoek
Dutch lens maker and amateur scientist, used a microscope to
examine materials such as blood, rainwater, and scrapings
from his teeth. In each material, he found tiny living things. He
called these things “animalcules”, but they were really living
cells! The smallest animalcules observed by van Leeuwenhoek
are today known as bacteria which are single-celled organisms.

(pronounced Lay-vuhn-huk)
270 to 300-fold
 The Story of Cells
1831 – Robert Brown
he noted the existence of a structure within the
cells of orchids, as well as many other plants, that
he termed the “nucleus” of the cell.

1835 – Felix Dujardin

discovered the protoplasm and named as “sarcode”
studying the group Foraminifera, he observed a fluid
that came out of its shell.

1839 – Jan Evangelista Purkinje

He coined the term ‘Protoplasm’ (1839) as a thick
jelly-like substance.
 The Story of Cells
During the next two hundred years, new and better
microscopes were developed.

1838 – Matthias Schleiden

a German botanist who first observed that all plant
parts were made of cells. He defined the cell as
the basic unit of plant structure
1839 – Theodor Schwann
a year later Schwann defined the cell as the basic
unit of animal structure.
Matthias Jacob Schleiden and Theodor Schwann
cofounded the cell theory.
 The Story of Cells
1855 – Rudolph Virchow
With all these discoveries, scientists still didn’t know
how cells reproduce. German scientist, he observed
cells dividing into two parts and discovered that all
cells come from previously living cells.

Virchow stated that in German “Omnis cellula e

cellula” which means that new cells come from
already existing cells.
 The Story of Cells
1862 – Louis Pasteur
discovered that heat kills germs in liquids, preventing
bacterial growth, food spoilage and foodborne
illnesses.
1882 – Walther Flemming
published the definitive study of the cellular
process of mitosis.

1931 – Ernst Ruska

By using several such lenses in a series, he
invented the first electron microscope.
 Sum
Up!

1590 invented the compound microscope

Robert Hooke
observed the living cells though his microscope
1674 that could magnify 270 to 300 times

stated that all plants are made of cells

1839 Theodor Schwann

Rudolf Virchow
 More Activity!
Directions: Construct a timeline that leads to the discovery of the cell theory. You can use the suggested
format below or you can create any type of graphic organizers that fits to this idea.