What Is a Cell?

What is a Cell?

Anything from a tree in the woods, fish in the sea, worm in the mud, all these animals and plant are made of the building blocks we all call cells. Cells are the basic building blocks of all living things. Cells are made of atoms which are the smallest units of matter. Cells have different sizes, shapes, and functions to do. They are two types of cell; eukaryotic and prokaryotic. Animal cells are eukaryotic cells, known as cells with a membrane bound nucleus. Prokaryotic are single cell organisms, such as bacteria and archaea. The plasma membrane is the outer lining of the cell, it separates the cell from the environment and allows material to enter and leave the cell. Within cells, they cytoplasm is made up of a jelly-like fluid and other structures that surround the nucleus. The cytoskeleton is made up of long fibers that make up the cell's structural framework. The cytoskeleton has different functions, which include the cell shape, the cell division, and allowing the cells to move. The mitochondria are organelles that convert energy from food into a form the cell can use. Mitochondria has their own genetic material that separate from the DNA in the nucleus and make copies of themselves. The nucleus is surrounded by a membrane called the nucleus envelope that protects the DNA and separates the nucleus from the rest of the cell. The endoplasmic reticulum, also known as ER for short, helps process molecules created by the cell. The ER transports molecules to the their specific destinations either inside or outside the cell. The golgi apparatus packages molecules that are processed by the ER to be transported out of the cell. Ribosomes are organelles that process the cell's genetic instructions to create proteins. Lysosomes and peroxisomes are organelles that recycle in the center of the cell. They digest bacteria that invades the cell and recycle worm out cell components.