​Cells are the Basic Unit of life

• Cells are the smallest unit in living things

  • Most are too small to see with your eyes

• Before the microscope was discovered we did not know cells existed

• A scientist named Robert Hooke used an early microscope to magnify the image of a cork, and noticed small compartments

  • He named these structures cells

​Uni- or Multi- cellular

• All organisms are made up of one or more cells

• Organisms that are only one cell are called unicellular

  • the prefix uni- means one

• Organisms that contain 2 or more cells are called multicellular

  • the prefix multi- means many

​Eukaryotic or prokaryotic

• We can classify cells based on the structures on the outside and inside of the cell

• Eukaryotic cells are often plant and animal cells

  • Eukaryotic is defined as having a true nucleus

  • Eukaryotic cells are much more complex

• Prokaryotic cells are often bacteria, and they do not have a true nucleus

​DNA

• DNA: Deoxyribonucleic Acid

• DNA is the instructions for building an exact copy of any organism

• DNA is responsible for the code that tells every cell what functions to carry out to keep the organism alive

• DNA is stored in every single cell in every organism