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Discovery of Cells

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Who Discovered Cells?

In the year 1665, a British scientist named Robert Hooke coined a term called “cells”. According to him cells are the basic structural and functional units of life. Robert Hooke was the first one to study and examine living organisms under the microscope on viewing a cork slice. He observed that there was a honeycomb like structure and he named the parts of the structure as cells. The science of cells has evolved ever since. Various scientists like Louis Pasteur, etc continued to bring new innovations to the field of science.

Various Scientists Who Discovered Cells

In life science evolution, the discovery of cells made a major step forward. Let us have a comprehensive outline of the cell discovery, who discovered cells and how were the cells discovered.

  • In 1670, Antony Von Leuwenhoek invented his own microscope lenses. He was the first scientist of his time to observe the bacteria, protozoa and human cells under his microscope. Light microscopes were not enough to observe the cells properly. Therefore, electron microscopes soon came into existence. Leeuwenhoek meaningfully enriched the eminence of microscope lenses to the point that he could distinguish the single-celled organisms that dwelt in a drop of pond water. He entitled these organisms as “animalcules,” which represents “miniature animals.”

  • Microscopes and science experienced advances during the 1700s, directing to quite a few revolutionary sightings by scientists at the origination of the 1800s. In 1804, Karl Rudolph and J.H.F. Link were the first to demonstrate that cells were autonomous o and had their own cell walls. 

  • Before this work, it was assumed that cells apportioned their walls and that was how fluids were transferred between them.

  •  The next trivial glimpsing transpired in 1833 when the British botanist Robert Brown elementarily detected the nucleus inside plant cells.

  • Theodor Schwann determined that all animal tissues were composed of cells as well. Schwann melded both statements into a solitary theory which said that

 1) All living organisms comprise of one or more cells 

 2) The cell is the basic unit of structure and function for all living organisms.

  • In 1845, the scientist Carl Heinrich Braun reread the cell theory with his understanding that cells are the elementary unit of life.

  • The next fragment of the original cell theory was put into view in 1855 by Rudolf Virchow who established that “Omnis cellules- e- cellula” which deciphers coarsely from Latin to “cells only arise from other cells.”

  • The current description of the cell theory takes account of numerous new philosophies that imitate the acquaintance that has been extended since the mid-1800s. These consist of the comprehension that dynamism flows within cells, hereditary material is acknowledged from cell to cell, and cells are made of the equivalent straightforward living elements.

Other Significant Discoveries 

Albert Von Kolliker

Discovered mitochondria

Schleiden and Schwann

Proposed cell theory

Evans and Kauffman

Discovered Embryonic Stem Cells from mice

James Thomson

Discovered Embryonic Stem Cells from humans

Camillo Golgi

Golgi apparatus

Discovery of Stem Cells

Martin Evans and Matt Kauffman discovered stem cells for the first time. They not only identified but also isolated and cultured the stem cells from embryos from a blastocyst of a mouse in the year 1981. James Thomson along with his associates made it possible to generate these structural building units of the human body. This discovery opened new avenues for therapy and transplantation methods which were unimaginable in the previous times.

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FAQs on Discovery of Cells

1. Who Discovered the Cells?

A British scientist named Robert Hooke coined a term called “cells”In the year 1665. Robert Hooke was the first one to study and examine living organisms under the microscope on viewing a cork slice.According to him cells are the basic structural and functional units of life. He observed that there was a honeycomb like structure and he named the parts of the structure as cells. He defined cells structurally similar to the cells in a prison.

2. What are the 4 Parts of Cell Theory?

The four basic concepts of cell theory:

• Cells are the fundamental units of structure (building blocks) of all animals and plants.

• Cells are the smallest basic units of function in all animals and plants.

• Cells originate only from pre-existing cells by the process of cell division.

• All cells maintain homeostasis.