CB1 | Cell structure stuff

• Where is DNA located in a prokaryotic cell?

  cytoplasm
• Whats a plasmid?


  A ring-shaped strand of a DNA stored in the cytoplasm
• Whats the difference between a light and electron microscope?

  Electron microscope passes electrons through it, instead of light
• eyepiece lens


  The part of the microscope you look down.
• magnification (mag-nif-ick-ay-shun)


  How much bigger something appears compared with its actual size.
• objective lens


  The part of the microscope that is closest to the specimen.
• resolution (rez-O-loo-shun)


  Smallest change that can be measured by an instrument. For example, in a microscope it is the smallest distance between two points that can be seen as two points and not blurred into one point.
• stain


  A dye used to colour parts of a cell to make them easier to see.
• aerobic respiration (air-O-bick)


  A type of respiration in which oxygen is used to release energy from substances, such as glucose.
• cell (surface) membrane


  The membrane that controls what goes into and out of a cell. It is often called the cell surface membrane because eukaryotic cells contain other structures with membranes.
• cell sap


  Liquid found in the permanent vacuole in a plant cell.
• cell wall


  A tough layer of material around some cells, which is used for protection and support. It is stiff and made of cellulose in plant cells. Bacteria have a flexible cell wall.
• chlorophyll (klor-O-fill)


  The green substance found inside chloroplasts. It traps energy transferred by light.
• chloroplasts (klor-O-plast)


  A green disc containing chlorophyll, found in plant cells. Where the plant makes glucose, using photosynthesis.
• chromosome (krow-mO-sOwm)


  A structure found in the nuclei of cells. Each chromosome contains one enormously long DNA molecule.
• cytoplasm (site-O-plaz-m)


  The watery jelly inside a cell where the cell's activities take place.
• DNA


  A substance that contains genetic information. Short for deoxyribonucleic acid.
• eukaryotic (you-kar-ee-ot-ick)


  A cell with a nucleus is eukaryotic. Organisms that have cells like this are also said to be eukaryotic.
• field of view


  The circle of light you see looking down a microscope.
• mitochondrion (my-tow-kon-dree-on)


  A sub-cellular structure (organelle) in the cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells, where aerobic respiration occurs. Plural is mitochondria.
• nucleus (new-clee-us)


  The 'control centre' of a eukaryotic cell.
• ribosome (rY-bow-sowm)


  Tiny sub-cellular structure that makes proteins.
• scale bar


  A line drawn on a magnified image that shows a certain distance at that magnification.
• scientific paper


  An article written by scientists and published in a science magazine called a journal. It is like an investigation report but usually shows the results and conclusions drawn from many experiments.
• vacuole (vack-you-oll_


  A storage space in cells. Plant cells have a large, permanent vacuole that helps to keep them rigid.
• acrosome (ack-rO-sO'm)


  A small vacuole in the tip of the head of a sperm cell, which contains enzymes.
• adaptation (add-app-tay-shun)


  The features that something has to enable it to do a certain function (job).
• adapted


  If something has adaptations for a certain function (job), it is said to be adapted to that function.
• ciliated epithelial cell (sill-ee-ay-ted ep-ith-ee-lee-al sell)


  A cell that lines certain tubes in the body and has cilia on its surface.
• cilium (sill-ee-um)


  A small hair-like structure on the surface of some cells. Plural is cilia.
• digestion (dye-jes-jun)


  A process that breaks molecules into smaller, more soluble substances.
• diploid (dip-loyd)


  Describes a cell that has two sets of chromosomes.
• egg cell


  The female gamete (sex cell).
• embryo (em-bree-O)


  The tiny new life that grows by cell division from a fertilised egg cell (zygote).
• enzyme


  A substance that can speed up some processes in living things (e.g. breaking down molecules).
• epithelial cell (ep-ith-ee-lee-al sell)

  A cell found on the surfaces of parts of the body.
• fertilisation (fert-ill-I-zay-shun)


  Fusing of a male gamete with a female gamete.
• gamete (gam-meet)


  A cell used for sexual reproduction.
• haploid (hap-loyd)


  Describes a cell that has one set of chromosomes.
• microvillus (my-crO-vill-us)


  A fold on the surface of a villus cell. These folds increase the surface area so that digested food is absorbed more quickly. Plural is microvilli.