Scientists and The Cell Theory

The Cell The smallest unit that can perform all life processes Cells are the building blocks of life The average human being is composed of around 100 Trillion individual cells!!! It would take as many as 50 cells to cover the area of a dot on the letter “i”

Cells are the smallest unit that can perform all life processes and are the building blocks of life. A. True B. False

Cell Diversity Lots of shapes and sizes

Typical Cell

Anton van Leeuwenhoek 1632 – 1723 He is known as the “Father of the microscope.” 1673: He looked at pond scum under the microscope and discovered small organisms he called animalcules or little animals (Protists) 1676: discovered bacteria ch/sci_class/chap09/lesson_protista/Pr otista_Lesson.html#Algae

Anton van Leeuwenhoek is the considered the father of the periodic table. A. True B. False He was the father of the microscopes

Robert Hooke Wrote and published “Micrographia” Known as the “English Father of Microscopy” Contributions: - He observed pieces of cork from the bark of a cork tree under the microscope. - His observations led him to coin the word “cell.” - “Cell”- means little rooms in Latin - He compared the small boxes to the small rooms that monks lived in. and.ac.uk/~history/PictDisplay/Hooke.html

Year Gap??? Between the Hooke/Leuwenhoek discoveries and the mid 19 th century, very little cell advancements were made. Probably due to the widely accepted, traditional belief in Spontaneous Generation. Examples: -Mice from dirty clothes/corn husks -Maggots from rotting meat

19 th Century Advancement Much doubt existed around Spontaneous Generation Conclusively disproved by Louis Pasteur Pasteur: Ummm, I don’t think so!!! + = ?

Matthias Schleiden 1804 – 1881 German botanist – botany the study of plants Discovered that all plants were made of cells Contributed to the creation of the cell theory /Mathias-Jacob-Schleiden

Theodor Schwann 1810 – 1882 German zoologist – zoology the study of animals Concluded that all animals are made of cells. Contributed to the creation of the cell theory

Rudolph Virchow German pathologist – pathology the study of disease He is known as the “Father of Pathology.” Discovered that all living cells come only from other living cells.

The Cell Theory Major Contributors: Matthias Schleiden Theodor Schwann Rudolph Virchow

The Cell Theory 1. All living things are made of cells. 2. Cells are the basic units of structure and function in living things. 3. Living cells come only from other living cells.

Modern Cell Theory added: The cells contain information(DNA) which is passed on from cell to cell during cell division All cells are basically the same in chemical composition and metabolic activities. All basic chemical & physiological functions are carried out inside the cells.(movement, digestion,etc) Cell activity depends on the activities of structures in the cell(organelles, nucleus, plasma membrane)