Discovery of Cells

From unicellular to multicellular organisms, every individual is made up of cells. A sunflower, a dog and even an amoeba are all made with the basic unit of life known as cells. The human body’s complex structure constitutes around 15 trillion cells. It performs various functions, such as respiration, nutrition, digestion, ejection, reproduction, etc. The cell comprises structures, including cell cytoplasm, cell membrane, nucleus, ribosome, and DNA. The science of cells has come from the 1600s. The scientists started the discovery of cells by observing bacteria, protozoa, and other cells under the microscope. Before we get into more details of the discovery of cells, let’s discuss what a cell is. 

What is a cell?

According to cell theory, cells are defined as the basic structural and functional unit of existing organisms that consists of the cell membrane, cytoplasm, and nucleus. However, cells have various functions to perform in living organisms. When several cells are assembled, they form tissues. The smallest component can be complex in nature as in the human body. 

It can be assumed to be the bricks of a building. But cells are countless in number with different shapes and sizes. Even the count differs from organism to organism. For example, unicellular organisms are made up of a single cell, while multicellular organisms are made up of several cells. 

Discovery of cells

There was a remarkable innovation in science that led to the invention of the microscope. Without the electron microscope, the discovery of cells would not have been possible. Several scientists observed cells of different organisms.

• In the year 1665, a scientist named Robert Hooke improved the composition of microscopes to enlarge the specimens. He coined the term known as “cells,” a structural unit of life.

• After Robert Hooke, Antony Von Leuwenhoek started observing cells through the microscope to discover other important structures. The advancements allowed him to distinguish the unicellular organisms. He observed the motility in the cells. It made every scientist believe that cells are alive.

• Other scientists came between the 1700s and 1800s to demonstrate cell walls. Rudolph and J.H.F Link provided insights into the cell wall.

• In 1883, a botanist named Robert Brown made other important discoveries. According to him, a plant cell has a nucleus.

• Mattias Schleiden and Theodore Schwann, two German scientists, determined the main distinctions between plant and animal cells. They stated that cells happen to be the basic units of animals and plants. They proposed the cell theory.

• During the 1850s, Rudolf Virchow asserted that every cell multiplied to make new cells from existing cells.

• Evans and Kauffman, James Thomson, Joseph Pelletier, and Camillo Golgi made other significant discoveries related to cell structures.

You may have a question: how did the discovery of cells start? Let’s look at the answer.

How did the discovery of cells start?

The discovery of cells was started by the English scientist Hooke. When he placed the cork slice of a living organism under the microscope, he made some observations. 

Hooke noted that the cork looked to be made of tiny pores and was forming a honeycomb-like structure. But the pores were not regular. 

Fascinated by Robert Hooke, a Dutch scientist Antonie van Leeuwenhoek perfected a microscope to magnify an object by around two hundred to three hundred times. He observed tiny creatures named “animalcules.” Additionally, he described spermatozoa under the microscope.

Other biologists, Theodore Schwann and Mattias Schleiden continued the discovery of cells. They studied animal and plant tissues to perfect cell theory. The cell theory was an idea given by these two scientists. According to cell theory, all living organisms are made up of one or more cells. 

However, the two misunderstood how cells grow. Schleiden and Schwann believed that cells grew from the nucleus and crystallised from some material. 

Scientists began identifying the chromosome while James Watson and Francis Crick studied the structure of DNA and its role in heredity. James Thomson discovered stem cells, which can be re-designed into other types of cells. 

Hence, the discovery of cells gave rise to personalised medicine. It also made biologists understand disease processes and advanced medical treatment.  

Conclusion

To conclude, we have answered the question: how did the discovery of cells start? We have also outlined the names of scientists involved in the discovery of cells. There is clear evidence of all the facts and discoveries. The knowledge of cells led to the reconstruction of body structures from stem cells. A broad range of applications is seen after research on stem cells. Without cells, basic life processes are not possible. Researchers are still uncovering other truths about cells and their structures. Hence, science has been evolving ever since to understand life processes.