Cell biology

• What are cells?

  Cells are the building blocks of every organism on the planet.
• What are the two types of cell?

  Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic.
• Eukaryotes are all plant and animal cells.
• What does an animal cell contain?

  Nucleus, cytoplasm, cell membrane, mitochondria and ribosomes.
• What does a plant cell contain?

  Cell wall, cell membrane, cytoplasm, nucleus, chloroplasts, mitochondria, vacuole.
• Chloroplasts contain chlorophyll, which absorbs light energy for photosynthesis. It contains a green pigment therefore turning leaves green.
• Prokaryotes are all bacteria cells.
• Bacterial cells contain a cell wall, a cell membrane, a cytoplasm, and a long, circular strand of DNA that acts like a nucleus.
• Micoscropy is the way we use magnification to see things we are unable to see with the naked eye.
• What is a light microscope?

  A microscope that uses visible light to magnify and observe small objects or organisms.
• What is an electron microscope?

  An electron microscope allows us to see inside cells which a light microscope cannot do.
• What is the equation for magnification?

  Magnification = Image size / Object size
• Practical Microscopy:

  • Add a drop of water to the middle of a clean slide
  • Use tweezers to peel off epidermal tissue from a chopped onion
  • Place the epidermal tissue into the water on the slide.
  • Add a drop of iodine solution
  • Place a cover slip on top
  • Clip the slide you've prepared onto the stage
  • Select the lowest-powered objective lens
  • Use adjustment knobs to focus
  • Look down the eye piece and draw what you see
• What does the nucleus contain?

  Our genetic material in the form of chromosomes.
• Cell membrane - controls movement of substances in and out of the cell
• The cytoplasm contains all the other cellular components, including ribosomes (which make proteins), mitochondria (the powerhouses of the cell) and chloroplasts (in plant cells).