Cells

Cells
Cells are the
smallest living
biological
structures.
They are the
building blocks of
life, the structural
and functional units
all living organisms
are made of.

Unicellular
organisms
Unicellular
organisms,
such as most
bacteria,
consist of a
single cell.

Multicellular
organism

The human body is

Multicellular
organism. It is made
of estimated 100
trillion cells.
Human cells are so
small that we have to
use a microscope to
see them (between 10
and 300 micrometers
in diameter).

Organization of cells
There are many different types of
cells in a human body. They are
designed to do different jobs.

Nervous cell

Muscle cell

Tissue
Cells that have
a similar
structure and
do the same
job, group
together to
form a tissue
(e.g. muscle tissue,
nervous tissue and so
on).

Types of human
tissues

Organs
Most tissues do not
work independently
but join forces to do
a particular job.
That is how organs
are formed.
Heart is an organ made of muscle,
nervous, epithelial and connective tissue

Organ System
For almost any action
carried out by the body,
several organs are
used. When organs
work together like this,
they are called an
organ system.
e.g. digestive system

Structure of cells
Even though cells are very small
they have a very complex structure

1 nucleolus
2 nucleus
3 ribosome
4 vesicle 5 - rough endoplasmic reticulum
6 - Golgi apparatus
7 Cytoskeleton
8 - smooth endoplasmic reticulum
9 - mitochondria
10 - vacuole

1 - cytoplasm

12 - lysosome

13 - centrioles within centrosome

Although cells vary in size and shape they all have three things in
common:

Nucleus - an organelle that

contains most of the cell's
genetic material, instructions
for the work, growth and
maintenance of the cell.
Cytoplasm - a gelatinous,
semi-transparent fluid, that fills
much of the volume of cells. It
contains organelles that carry
out the work of the cell
Cell Membrane - an outer
covering that controls
movement in and out of cell.

Cytoplasm

Nucleus

Cell Membrane

Metabolism

Even though cells are tiny in size

each of them is like chemical
factory where hundreds of lifegiving chemical reactions are
taking place. This chemical
activity is called Metabolism.
Metabolism involves two main
kinds of reactions:

Anabolism when row materials

are used to build more complex
substances. Anabolic reactions
require some energy.
Catabolism breaking down of
complex substances (e.g.
carbohydrates and fat into
carbon dioxide and water).
Catabolic reactions release
energy.

Metabolic rate
Metabolic rate is the
speed at which
metabolic reaction
take place. It can
speed up or slow down
to meet the needs of
our body. At its slowest
rate, it is called Basal
Metabolic Rate
(BMR). Basal
metabolic rate will
only keep us alive.