You cannot see a cell with your eyes alone, but every living thing is made of them. In this course we learn who found the cell, what is inside it, and why cells are so small.
3 lessons, about 1 h 20 min3 simulations9 problems6 practice questionsPython in every lesson
Created by StemPy LabRobert Hooke gave the cell its name. All living things are made of cells, and every cell comes from another cell. Cells are measured in micrometres, and a microscope makes them look bigger: size in the picture = actual size × magnification.
A cell has a membrane, a nucleus and cytoplasm with small parts called organelles, and each part has a job. Plant cells also have a cell wall, chloroplasts and a large vacuole. Bacteria have no nucleus with a membrane: they are prokaryotes, while plants, animals and fungi are eukaryotes.
A cell takes in food and oxygen through its surface and uses them in all of its volume. When a cell grows, its volume grows faster than its surface, so the ratio of surface area to volume falls. So cells stay small and divide, and many have shapes with a large surface.
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