Module 3: Cell Biology - Structure and Function

Plant, Dog, Bug

Organisms come in all sorts of structures, shapes, colors, and textures. When you look at the different multicellular organisms shown in the images above, it may surprise you to learn that all of these living organisms are composed of millions of the same units of life – cells! Every living organism is composed of cells, and all cells share many similarities.

In this module, you will learn about the discovery of cells and some of the different types of cells. You will explore the ways that cells achieve their metabolic needs and you will investigate the structures that are found inside the cell. You will also learn how unicellular organisms function in many of the same ways as multicellular organisms.

Getting Started

Getting StartedCellsBefore you begin your exploration of cells, see how much you already know about this topic. In this non-graded interactivity, read each statement and determine if it is true or false. Click the player button to get started.

 

 

Key Vocabulary


To view the definitions for these key vocabulary terms, visit the course glossary.

active transport cytoskeleton nucleolus
adenine triphosphate diffusion nucleus
aerobic digestion organelles
anaerobic endocytosis osmosis
archaebacteria endosymbiotic theory passive transport
autotroph equilibrium phospholipid bilayer
biogenesis eukaryotic cell photosynthesis
Calvin cycle excretion Primordial Soup theory
cell exocytosis prokaryotic cell
cell membrane facilitated diffusion protein pump
cell theory fluid mosaic model reproduction
cell wall Golgi apparatus ribosome
cellular respiration grana rough endoplasmic reticulum
cellulose heterotroph scanning tunneling microscope
centriole hydrophilic selectively permeable
chitin hydrophobic smooth endoplasmic reticulum
chlorophyll hypertonic spontaneous generation
chloroplast hypotonic stroma
circulation isotonic Theory of the Origin of Life (1924)
compound light microscope Krebs Cycle thylakoids
concentration gradient lysosome transmission electron microscope
confocal microscope mitochondria vacuole
cytoplasm nuclear envelope vesicle