3.01 The Cell: Building Block of Life

Time to Reflect

The microscopic world was once undiscovered territory. Times change, but we cannot forget the pioneers and their contributions to modern biology. The works of scientists all over the world continue to advance our knowledge of cells.

• Cells were named by Robert Hooke who viewed cork under a simple microscope.
• Compound Light microscopes use two magnifying lenses and light to view living and non-living things.
• Electron microscopes are very powerful and can help us see inside cells, but not living organisms.
• The cell theory is important in understanding how we define living versus non-living things.

Tour Debrief

To complete this activity make sure that you have:

• toured the parts of a compound light microscope
• added the three ideas of the cell theory to your Travel Log