􀑦all the plants and animals are composed of cells and the cell is the basic unit of life
Answers
By definition, a cell is the fundamental and structural unit of all living organisms. It is the smallest biological, structural and functional unit of all plants and animals. Therefore, cells are called the ‘Building Blocks of Life’ or the ‘Basic units of Life’. Organisms made up of a single cell are ‘unicellular’ whereas organisms made up of many cells are ‘multicellular’. Cells perform many different functions within a living organism such as digestion, respiration, reproduction, etc and keep it alive.
For example, within the human body, a lot of cells give rise to a tissue → multiple tissues make up an organ → many organs create an organ system → several organs systems functioning together make up the human body.
Discovery of the cell
Did you know that more than 330 years ago there was no knowledge of cells? This is because they were too small for the naked eye. The discovery of the microscope made it possible to observe cells and even study them in detail. Although it was the scientist, Robert Hooke who coined the term ‘cell’ after observing dead cells through his microscope, it was Anton van Leeuwenhoek who first observed live cells! Many years later, Robert Brown discovered the ‘nucleus’, the engine that makes a cell function.