Broadly, a theory of 'pairs from parents'. Many years later, 'Mendelianism' emerged. The father of gene theory is Gregor Mendel who made observations of his many thousands of pea plants at his monastery. 'Apart from a few specialized exceptions like red blood cells which, as they mature, lose their entire nucleus and therefore all their genes - every cell in your body contains a copy of your entire complement of genes.' Mitochondria (the infamous 'powerhouse')Įukaryotic cells have nuclei.But, just as atoms contain electrons and protons, cells contain smaller components too.' They are individual living entities, surrounded by membranes made from fat-like lipids. It is, after all, how we each started: through the division of cells from the embryo onwards. 'Compared to a whole organism, like an animal or a plant, a cell may seem simple, but it is definitely alive.'Īll cells come from other cells, through cell division. They're forms of life because all cells are, themselves, alive. Microbes (single-celled organisms) are the most numerous form of life on earth. A parasite can be a single cell, but then again so can an egg yolk or a nerve that runs the length of your body.ĭiscovered underneath microscope in 17th Century London. The Cell 'Cells are not only the basic structural unit of all living organisms, they are also the basic functional unit of life.'Ĭells vary enormously in size.
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