Cell Biology at its Finest

Both living and non-living things are composed of molecules made from chemical elements such as Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, and Nitrogen.  The organization of these molecules into cells is one feature that distinguishes living things from all other matter.  The cell is the smallest unit of matter that can carry on all the processes of life.  

1. Every living thing - from the tiniest bacterium to the largest whale - is made of one or more cells.  

2. Before the C17th, no one knew that cells existed, since they are too small to be seen with the naked eye.  The invention of the microscope enabled Robert Hooke, (1665) and Anton van Leuwenhoek (1675) to see and draw the first ‘cells’, a word coined by Hooke to describe the cells in a thin slice of cork, which reminded him of the rooms where monks lived.   

3. The idea that all living things are made of cells was put forward in about 1840 and in 1855 came ‘Cell Theory’ – i.e. ‘cells only come from other cells’ – contradicting the earlier theory of 'Spontaneous Generation’ .

Cell Theory consists of three principles:  

a. All living things are composed of one or more cells.  

b. Cells are the basic units of structure and function in an organism.  

c. Cells come only from the replication of existing cells.  

For us to be able to dig deeper about cell biology, this webquest enables students to know more about the fundamentals of cell biology.

At the end of this WebQuest, the students will be able to elaborate the relationship between molecular structure and it's functions, the dynamic character of cellular organelles and the mechanisms that regulate cellular activities.

The next link will give a brief over view of the cell biology. Watch the video then take note the important terms discussed in the video.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://www.khanacademy.org/science/high-school-biology/hs-cells/hs-basic-cell-structures/v/introduction-to-the-cell&ved=2ahUKEwidtNuKvY_sAhVzyosBHXKkBuIQwqsBMBN6BAgiEDA&usg=AOvVaw2C0JI4lBrsW__rknQ9iC2Y

Activity 1

Go to the website https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK217812/ . List the different molecular structure in cell and their functions.

Activity 2

 Part A: Explore the "How Big is a...?" web page at http://www.cellsalive.com/howbig.htm . Here you will look at objects found on the head of a pin. Your job is to rank them in order of size on the chart below and estimate the length of each (in nanometers, micrometers, or millimeters). The line in the bottom right corner of the screen is used to help you estimate. Sketch each of the objects.

Use COMPLETE SENTENCES to write a brief summary of this activity, what you did and what you learned.

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Part B: Animal Cell Model ‐ (you will need to return to the "Cell Biology" link to access this page, https://www.cellsalive.com/cells/cell_model_js.htm ). For this model, you will need to click on the various parts of the cell to go to a screen that tells you about the parts. Answers to the following questions are found there.

1. What do mitochondria do?

2. How big are mitochondria?

3. What does the Golgi Apparatus do?

4. What is the difference between smooth and rough ER?

5. Where is the nucleolus found?

6. What does the nucleolus do?

7. What does the cytoskeleton do?

8. Cytosol goes by what other name?

9. What is the function of the cytosol?

10. What is the function of the lysosome?

Sketch each of the following:

Part C: Plant Cell Model ‐ (you will need to return to the "Cell Biology" link to access this page, https://www.cellsalive.com/cells/cell_model_js.htm).

1. What other type of cell has a cell wall? 

2. What makes the plant cells green?

3. ln In plant cells, what does the vacuole do?

Sketch the following:

Part D: CELL QUIZOLAS

1. Go to http://www.biology4kids.com/extras/quiz_cellorgan/index.htm

Take the quiz and put your score here:_____________

2. Go to http://www.zerobio.com/target_practice_quiz/target_practice_quiz_cells…

Take the quiz and put your score here:______________

3. Go to http://www.proprofs.com/quiz‐school/quizshow.php?title=3rd‐block‐group‐2_1&quesnum=1

Take the quiz and put your score here:_____________

4. Go to http://www.schools.utah.gov/curr/science/sciber00/7th/cells/Quiz/index…

Take the quiz and put your score here:______________

In line with continually increasing interdisciplinary study, the recent emergence of systems biology has affected many biological disciplines; it is a methodology that encourages the analysis of living systems within the context of other systems. In the field of cell biology, systems biology has enabled the asking and answering of more complex questions, such as the interrelationships of gene regulatory networks, evolutionary relationships between genomes, and the interactions between intracellular signaling networks. Ultimately, the broader a lens we take on our discoveries in cell biology, the more likely we can decipher the complexities of all living systems, large and small.