Cells
Every cell is derived from another cell. ~ French chemist, naturalist and physiologist François-Vincent Raspail
The biological world is comprised of cells. (The study of living cells is cytology.) Though physically self-contained, much of the activity within a cell relates to what’s outside. More than anything, a cell’s life is defined by its ecology.
Inside a cell, the modus operandi is self-assembly. The components that make up a cell, from molecules on up, organize themselves. This continuing coherence is the miracle of life.
From a cellular perspective, life takes 2 forms: prokaryotic and eukaryotic. The terms for these cell types derive from ancient Greek: eu means “true,” karyon “kernel.” Hence, whereas a eukaryote has a compartmentalized nucleus, a prokaryote – “before the kernel” – does not.
