The Biology Project: Cell Biology

Studying Cells Tutorial

Major Events in Cell Biology

History of studying cells
Because of the limitations of the human eye, much of the early biological research concentrated on developing tools to help us see very small things. As imaging technology became more sophisticated, biological discoveries abounded. Below is a timeline detailing some of those major events in biology.

The Cell Theory
When Scheiden and Schwann proposed the cell theory in 1838, cell biology research was forever changed. The cell theory states that:
  1. All life forms are made from one or more cells.
  2. Cells only arise from pre-existing cells.
  3. The cell is the smallest form of life.
The cell theory also provides us with an operational definition of "life". The tutorial on prokaryotes, eukaryotes, and viruses explores this concept in more detail.

The Biology Project
University of Arizona
Thursday, April 24, 1997
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