General Biology 1: Cell Theory and Structure

This set of vocabulary flashcards covers the historical development of cell theory, its key proponents, the primary postulates of the theory, and the variations in cell sizes and classifications.

Biology

The science of life, derived from the Greek words "bios" (life) and "logos" (study).

Zaccharias Janssen (1595)

The scientist who invented the first compound microscope.

Robert Hooke (1665)

He built a microscope to examine cork and observed tiny compartments he named "cellula" (cells).

Anton van Leeuwenhoek (1667/1674)

He created microscopes with much higher magnification and was the first to observe living cells.

Matthias Jakob Schleiden (1838)

A botanist who stated that all parts of the plant organism are composed of cells.

Theodor Schwann (1839)

A professor of physiology who stated that all animal organisms are composed of cells.

Rudolf Ludwig Karl Virchow (1858)

The scientist who stated "Omnis cellula e cellula," meaning cells arise from pre-existing cells.

Cell Theory (Final Postulates)

1) All organisms are made up of cells. 2) The basic unit of life is the cell. 3) Cells arise from pre-existing cells.

Robert Brown (1883)

The scientist credited with the discovery of the nucleus.

Felix Dujardin (1835)

The scientist who discovered the fluid content of the cell.

J. E. Purkinje (1839)

The scientist who named the fluid content of the cell as "protoplasm."

Carl Heinrich Braun (1845)

The scientist who proposed that the cell is the basic unit of life.

Unicellular Organism

An organism made up of only one cell, such as Euglena, Paramecium, Yeast, bacteria, and archaea.

Multicellular Organism

An organism composed of more than one cell, such as plants, animals, and most fungi.

Micrometer ($\mu m$)

The unit used to measure the size of a cell, where $1\,\mu m = 1/1000\,\text{millimeter}$.

Mycoplasma

The smallest cell, with a size of $0.1\,\mu m$.

Ostrich egg

The largest cell, with a size of $18\,cm$.

Sperm cell

The smallest cell in humans, measuring approximately $5\,\mu m$.

Ovum cell

The largest cell in humans, measuring approximately $120\,\mu m$.

Nerve cell

The longest cell in humans, measuring approximately $1\,m$.