Cell and Its Components

¶ … CELL & ITS COMPONENTS

Biology

Biologists, researchers, and professionals of many disciplines study the nature of the cell. The drive to understand the nature of the cell aligns with urges to understand the nature of the atom, the molecule, DNA and other entities of astronomically small size. In many instances, studying the extremely small provides profound insight and clarification on how bodies of much larger sizes including societies and galaxies work in analogous manners. Barabasi and Oltvai explain how the study of biology, specifically the cell, informs other fields and what the proportionate influence upon cellular biology is:

Help along the way is provided by the rapidly developing theory of complex networks that, in the past few years, has made advances towards uncovering the organizing principles that govern the formation and evolution of various complex technological and social networks. This research is already making an impact on cell biology. It has led to the realization that the architectural features of molecular interaction networks within a cell are shared to a large degree by other complex systems, such as the Internet, computer chips and society. (2004,-Page 101)

Therefore, we study the cell and its components to understand the cell itself and we study the cell and its components as an exploration and study of ourselves, our infrastructures, and the ways in which we relate.

The cell is the most basic and fundamental and functional structure found within all living organisms. The cell is the smallest living organism that is classified as living. The two types of cells are prokaryotes and eukaryote. Prokaryote cells are smaller than eukaryotes and they lack a nucleus, an organelle within a cell that contains the majority of the cell's genetic information/material. Within the nucleus is the nucleolus, which has a spherical shape and further contains RNA for the manufacture of proteins the cell will need later. Organelles come in varieties, yet they all are similar in that they are subunits within a cell with very specific functions such as mitochondria and plastids. Eukaryotes are structurally more complicated with numerous kinds of organelles that could possibly be present. Organelles, like the word they resemble, organ, assist the cell to function properly and its best. Some examples of cytoplasm include chloroplasts, which are usually found in plants, are green, and are integral to the process of photosynthesis. Another example of a cytoplasm is mitochondria, as aforementioned, which are the second largest type of organelle found within cells. They are responsible for such tasks as controlling the levels of water present, and recycling materials such as proteins, fats, and carbohydrates.

Yet another type of organelle and cytoplasm is a vacuole. Vacuoles are sacs for storage, digestion and waste removal within the cell. Cytoplasm is the collective term for the organelles and cytosol within a cell. All the organelles function in part because of another important aspect of the cell, the endoplasmic reticulum. The endoplasmic reticulum in every cell is almost like the system of blood vessels in a human or animal. It is a tube shaped network that connects to the nuclear membrane, just as the nervous system in a human ultimately connects to the brain or how the blood vessels flow toward the heart. The endoplasmic reticulum stores, separates, and as can be inferred, is the transport system for the cell. It does not contain many ribosomes, microscopic protein factories that compose approximately one quarter of the cell's total mass. The ribosomes within the endoplasmic reticulum are the stationary type as opposed to the most of the other ribosomes present in the cell, which are mobile that inject protein directly into the cytoplasm.

Biologists continue to learn from the cell by studying its parts and studying the cell as a whole. This approach yields insight in many disciplines and research areas. The cell is a fundamental and unique structure that can be approached from different perspectives and still provide insight: