The Cell By Faizan Mirza

The Cell The cell is the functional basic unit of life. It was discovered by Robert Hooke and is the functional unit of all known living organisms. It is the smallest unit of life that is classified as a living thing, and is often called the building block of life

Some organisms, such as most bacteria, are unicellular (consist of a single cell). Other organisms, such as humans, are multicellular. Humans have about 100 trillion or cells

All cells, have a membrane that envelops the cell It separates its interior from its environment, regulates what moves in and out (selectively permeable)

The cytoplasm of a cell is surrounded by a cell membrane or plasma membrane. The plasma membrane in plants and prokaryotes is usually covered by a cell wall. The membrane is said to be 'semi-permeable', in that it can either let a substance (molecule or ion) pass through freely, pass through to a limited extent or not pass through at all.

Nucleus The cell nucleus is the most conspicuous organelle found in a eukaryotic cell. It houses the cell's chromosomes, and is the place where almost all DNA replication and RNA synthesis (transcription) occur. The nucleus is spherical and separated from the cytoplasm by a double membrane called the nuclear envelope The nucleolus is a specialized region within the nucleus where ribosome subunits are assembled.

Mitochondria Mitochondria play a critical role in generating energy in the eukaryotic cell. Mitochondria generate the cell's energy byoxidative phosphorylation, using oxygen to release energy stored in cellular nutrients (typically pertaining to glucose) to generate ATP. Mitochondria multiply by splitting in two. Respiration occurs in the cell mitochondria.

Plant cell v/s Animal cell Plant cells have a cell wall surrounding the cell membrane, and animal cells only have a membrane. Plant cells contain chloroplasts which are used for photosynthesis. Plant cells have a large vacuole (it's like a fluid sack), compared to an animal cell which has multiple vacuoles. -

Animal cells are 'blobby', but cells in plants are more structured due to the cell wall, and form a lattice like structure which helps with rigidness. prokaryotes are found in plant cells and have no nucleus and eukaryotes are found in animal cells and have a nucleus. Can You think of more…….