Cell Biology

• What is the basic unit of life?

  Cells
• What can we see with a normal light microscope?

  Cells and possibly the nucleus
• What does an electron microscope allow us to see?

  Finer details of organelles
• What is resolving power in microscopy?

  Ability to distinguish fine details
• How do you calculate the actual size of a cell?

  Image size divided by magnification
• What are the two main groups of cells?

  Eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells
• What do eukaryotic cells contain?

  A nucleus with DNA
• What do prokaryotic cells lack?

  A nucleus
• What is the function of the cell membrane?

  Keeps everything inside the cell
• What does semi-permeable mean?

  Allows certain substances to pass through
• What do plant cells and most bacteria have?

  An extra cell wall made of cellulose
• What is cytoplasm?

  The liquid that makes up the cell
• Where does respiration take place in a cell?

  In the mitochondria
• What is the role of ribosomes?

  Assemble or synthesize proteins
• What do chloroplasts contain?

  Chlorophyll for photosynthesis
• What is a permanent vacuole?

  Storage for sap in plant cells
• How do bacteria multiply?

  By binary fission
• How many bacteria would there be after one hour starting with one bacterium?

  64
• What is the formula for calculating the number of bacteria after a certain time?

  2 raised to the power of time intervals
• What is the purpose of aseptic technique in culturing bacteria?

  To prevent contamination of the culture
• How do you hold the lid of a Petri dish during culturing?

  Lift towards a flame
• What temperature do we incubate bacterial cultures?

  25°C
• How do you calculate the area of a circle in a culture?

  Using $\frac{\pi d^2}{4}$
• What do eukaryotic cell nuclei contain?

  DNA stored in chromosomes
• How many pairs of chromosomes do humans have?

  23 pairs
• What are gametes in terms of chromosome number?

  Haploid cells with 23 chromosomes
• What is the process of mitosis?

  Cell division producing identical cells
• What happens to genetic material during mitosis?

  It is duplicated
• What happens to the nucleus during mitosis?

  It breaks down and reforms
• What are stem cells?

  Cells that haven't specialized yet
• Where are stem cells found in humans?

  In bone marrow and embryos
• What can stem cells be used for?

  Treating conditions like diabetes and paralysis
• What is cloning in plants used for?

  Preventing extinction and producing crops
• What is diffusion?

  Movement from high to low concentration
• What does passive transport mean?

  No energy input is required
• What is osmosis?

  Diffusion of water across a membrane
• What happens to a cell in a hypertonic solution?

  Water moves out, decreasing mass
• How do you calculate percentage change in mass?

  Final mass minus initial mass over initial mass times 100
• What does the line of best fit indicate in an osmosis experiment?

  Concentration with no change in mass
• What is active transport?

  Movement against a concentration gradient using energy