Why We Study the Cell and Its Components

All organisms are made up of many different materials and components. As you get deeper into our structure, you find these things called cells. Cells are the basic building blocks of all living things. ("Genetics home reference," 2011). Inside our bodies, there are trillions of these cells doing many different jobs. They provide structure for the body, take in nutrients from food, convert those nutrients into energy, and carry out specialized functions. ("Genetics home reference," 2011). We discovered these things by taking the time to analyze cells and study them and their components. However, studying things for the sake of science is not the only reason that we study for.

There are two types of cells, prokaryotic and eukaryotic. The ones found inside of humans are eukaryotic and contain lots of organelles which are membrane enclosed structures with specialized functions. (Simon et. Al 2010). These eukaryotic cells contain things like a nucleus, which is the genetic control center of a eukaryotic cell (Simon et. Al. 2010). Because cells comprise up so much of our body, they can cause lots of different processes to occur within us. They can cause us to go through healing processes and cure ourselves when used in conjunction with antibiotics and other medicines. However, they can also be an extreme hindrance and cause our bodies to shut down or end up in a very diseased and destroyed state.

A prime example of a cell related disease is sickle cell anemia. Sickle cell disease is a serious disorder in which the body makes sickle-shaped red blood cells. "Sickle-shaped" means that the red blood cells are shaped like a crescent. (National Institutes of Health, 2011) When the cells are sickle-shaped, it means they have an abnormal version of an important protein called hemoglobin. This abnormality in this protein causes the cells to change shape and become stiff or sticky which blocks blood flow and can cause many problems. Sickle cell anemia is an inherited disease, and currently has no completely universal cure, but there are several different solutions that may be available for some people. These treatments include blood transplants and marrow stem cell transplants. As time goes on, scientists study these abnormal cells to find out why they appear and cause so many problems. And if they continue to study them, they may one day find a completely universal cure and be able to get rid of the disease indefinitely.

So while there are various reasons to study cells and their components, one of the main reasons is to discover how and why diseases occur in the body. By researching the problems from the smallest (root) level, we can discover the source of a problem and work to find it. Cells may be small but they play a big role in everything we do and can be used to solve some of the scientific world's (more specifically biology) biggest problems. As long as we continue to grow as organisms, we will