• Cell (biology), basic unit of life.

Cells are
the smallest structures capable of basic
life processes, such as taking in nutrients,
expelling waste, and reproducing. All living
things are composed of cells. Some
microscopic organisms, such as bacteria
and protozoa, are unicellular, meaning
they consist of a single cell.
• Prokaryotic cells are among
the tiniest of all cells, ranging
in size from 0.0001 to 0.003
mm (0.000004 to 0.0001 in)
in diameter. About a hundred
typical prokaryotic cells lined
up in a row would match the
thickness of a book page.
These cells, which can be
rodlike, spherical, or spiral in
shape, are surrounded by a
protective cell wall
• Eukaryotic cells are
typically about ten
times larger than
prokaryotic cells. In
animal cells, the
plasma membrane,
rather than a cell
wall, forms the cell’s
outer boundary.
• CYTOCHROME darkly colored protein
that plays a vital role in transporting
chemical energy in all living cells. Animal
cells derive energy from food through a
process called cellular respiration and
plants trap energy from sunlight in another
process called photosynthesis.
CYTOCHROMES are intimately involved
in both of these processes.
Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER), an
extensive network of tubes that
manufacture, process, and transport
materials within nucleated cells. The
ER consists of a continuous
membrane in the form of branching
tubules and flattened sacs that extend
throughout the cytoplasm (the cell’s
contents outside of the nucleus) and
connect to the double membrane that
surrounds the nucleus. There are two
types of ER: rough and smooth.
• Nucleolus, structure within the
nucleus of cells, involved in
the manufacture of
RIBOSOMES (cell structures
where protein synthesis
occurs). Each cell nucleus
typically contains one or more
nucleoli, which appear as
irregularly shaped fibers and
granules embedded in the
nucleus. There is no
membrane separating the
nucleolus from the rest of the
nucleus
• Nucleus (biology), membrane-
bound structure of a cell that
plays two crucial roles. The
nucleus carries the cell’s
genetic information that
determines if the organism will
develop, for instance, into a tree
or a human; and it directs most
cell activities including growth,
metabolism, and reproduction
by regulating protein synthesis
(the manufacture of long chains
of amino acids).
• Plasmid, small, usually ring-
shaped molecule of
deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA),
which is the hereditary
material in all living cells.
Plasmids are present in
almost all bacteria and may
also be found in some yeasts
and other fungi, protozoa, and
even some plants and
animals. They are separate
from chromosomes, the
primary structures that contain
DNA in cells.
• Protein, any of a large number of
organic compounds that make up
living organisms and are essential
to their functioning. First
discovered in 1838, proteins are
now recognized as the
predominant ingredients of cells,
making up more than 50 percent of
the dry weight of animals. The
word protein is coined from the
Greek proteins, or “primary.”
Ribosome, cell structure that uses
genetic instructions transported in
ribonucleic acid (RNA) to link a
specific sequence of amino acids
into chains to form proteins.
RIBOSOMES , which measure
about 0.00025 mm (0.00001 in),
are dispersed in the cytoplasm (the
cell contents outside the nucleus) of
all prokaryotic cells—
ARCHAEBACTERIA and bacteria.
• The first observations
of cells were made in
1665 by English
scientist Robert Hook,
who used a crude
microscope of his own
invention to examine a
variety of objects,
including a thin piece of
cork
• Brain, portion of the central
nervous system contained
within the skull. The brain is
the control center for
movement, sleep, hunger,
thirst, and virtually every
other vital activity
necessary to survival. All
human emotions—
including love, hate, fear,
anger, elation, and sadness
—are controlled by the
brain.