Discovery of the Cell: Know Functions and Types

Discovery of the Cell: A cell is the basic unit of life. The term was coined in the year 1664 by a scientist named Robert Hookes when he examined a thin slice of cork in a microscope and discovered what resembled honeycombs.

Another story related to cells notes that they depicted the cellular rooms of monasteries at that point in time. Therefore, Robert Hookes named them cells. Read this article to learn more about discovery of the cell.

Discovery of the Cell: Building Blocks of Life

A cell is the fundamental unit of life. A number of cells make up a tissue. A number of tissues make up an organ. Even to this day, it is nothing short of a conundrum or a puzzle to precisely calculate the number of cells in the human body. However, it is estimated that there are 40 trillion cells in the human body!

Discovery of the Cell: Functions

A cell performs the following functions:

Provides support structure: As all organisms are made up of cells, they form the supportive structure of an organism.
Help in growth of an organism: Parent cells split into what are called daughter cells and help the organism grow. The process is called mitosis.
Help in substance transportation: Through a process called diffusion, oxygen and other molecules move, thus aiding in transportation.
Reproduction: Through processes called mitosis and meiosis, a cell aids in reproduction.

Discovery of the Cell: Types

There are two types of cells. They are:

Prokaryotic cells – They are microorganisms that are single-celled like bacteria.
Eukaryotic cells – They are cells that have membrane-bound nucleus and organelles

Cell Structure

The cell has the following structure:

Cell membrane that protects the cell
Cell wall that protects the cellular components
Cytoplasm is where most of the chemical reactions take place
Nucleus that contains hereditary information, also called DNA
Cell organelles like chromosomes, mitochondria that perform specific functions

Also Read:

Structure of Cell

Cell Organelles

Cell Theory

Proposed by German scientists, Theodor Schwann, Matthias Schleiden, and Rudolf Virchow, the cell theory states that a cell is the basic unit of life and all organisms on earth are made up of cells, and that all cells result from preexisting cells.

There is also a modern version of the cell theory that furthers that there is energy flow within the cells, genetic information is passed on from cells and that all cells have the same chemical composition.

A Few Interesting Facts About Cells

Here are a few interesting facts about cells:

Cells have varying lifespans: Within the human body itself, there are different cells that live for different numbers of time periods. For example, cells in the digestive system live for only a few days whereas cells in the immune system live for up to six weeks. Cells in the pancreas live for a year.

Cells can commit suicide: Apoptosis is a process by which cells can destruct themselves in order to keep the process of mitosis intact. This can happen as cells can get infected. However, if apoptosis fails to occur, it results in cancer.

We hope this small article on the Discovery of The Cell helps you understand the basic concepts of Cell. For more such articles, keep visiting Embibe.