The History of Cells

What is a cell? A cell is a structures that contains all the materials necessary for life. All living things are made up of cells. The cells come together to make an organism function and look as it does. Most cells are so small that they cannot be seen with the naked eye.

Examples of Cells Amoeba Proteus Plant Stem Red Blood Cell Nerve Cell Bacteria

It has taken scientists a long time to gain the knowledge we now have about cells. You will create a timeline for your journal of all of the important discoveries! Title your timeline: The Development of Cell Theory ____________________________________________ 1600

Discovery of the Cell 1665 Robert Hooke developed a microscope and used it to look at cork. He saw tiny boxes which he called cells. Hooke’s Microscope Cork under the microscope.  In Latin, cell means “tiny rooms”.

Discovery of the Cell 1674 Anton van Leeuwenhoek was the 1 st person to see bacteria under a microscope. He discovered yeast is a single-celled organism. We call these single-celled organisms microorganisms because we have to have a microscope to see the organism.  Yeast under the microscope

A few other single-celled organisms… Paramecium Amoeba

Discovery of the Cell 1831 The NUCLEUS was discovered. The nucleus contains DNA which tells the cell what to do. It’s like the “brain” of the cell.

Discovery of the Cell 1838 Matthias Schleiden concluded that all plant parts are made of cells Plant Cells under a microscope

Discovery of the Cell 1839 Theodore Schwann concluded that all animals and their tissues are made of cells Animal Cells under a microscope

Discovery of the Cell 1855 Doctor Rudolf Virchow discovered cells can only form from other cells by viewing cell reproduction.

1.All organisms are made of one or more cells. 2.The cell is the basic unit of all living things. 3.All cells come from existing cells. The discoveries of Schleiden, Schwann, and Virchow led us to develop a set of rules called: Cell Theory Write the parts of cell theory on the outside of your timeline after you fold it and glue it in your journal.