Cell Biology
Introduction
The report will look at and discuss the life process of a cell, the functions of the cell and the cells structure. A cell is the smallest unit of an organism and is the building block of all living things.
Key life processes of a cell
All living things including cells have some life processes in common. There are seven processes that they need to preform to be classed alive. These are:-
1) Movement all living things have movement including plants
2) Respiration the process of getting energy from food
3) Sensitivity this allows the living thing to detect changes in the surroundings
4) Growth all living things grow
5) Reproduction to reproduce and make more living things of the same type
6) Excretion getting rid of waste product
7) Nutrition taking in and using food
Viruses are not known as living like cells as living things require nutrition and viruses do not. A virus is not live; it is unable to absorb nutrients, produce or excrete waste; so viruses attach themselves to living organism known as a host to survive and gain the nutrition they need. They also need the host to be able to move and reproduce as they unable to do this alone. Viruses have to inject its viral DNA into the host cell it has invaded in order to get the host to reproduce for it.
Understanding living cells and distinguishing them from viruses
There are two primary types of cells prokaryotes and eukaryotes. The key difference between the two is that the eukaryotic cells contain
Unlike bacteria, that have everything it needs to reproduce, viruses need to use a living cell's organelles in order to replicate.
P1: Outline the function of the main cells of the body. Cells are the main structure of the body as they all come together to form one cell. They are very important because without them, we wouldn’t be able to live. The cells carry out numerous of chemical reaction that we wouldn’t have heard of or even felt and it is simply done it on its own. Cells make up all the organs in the body.
Identify the basic structures of the cell and explain the physiological role of the cell in the human body. Compare and contrast the erythrocyte, nerve cell, and sperm cell. With respect to our composite cell, how do they relate? (How are they similar? How are they different) (9) The cell consists of three main parts being the nucleus, cytoplasm, and the cell membrane. Within the cytoplasm there are specialized organelles that do special functions for the cell. Cells are the building blocks of plants and animals. Cells are the smallest units that perform all crucial physiological functions. The nerve cell detects changes in the internal and external environment. Sperm cells are specialized to deliver
After looking at many articles I believe that viruses are not alive. Even though in the beginning I believed they were. For an object to be alive it needs to have certain characteristics such as being able to: grow, develop, have a purpose, reproduce, adapt, and have cells. A living thing could reproduce which means they would make offspring. Viruses don't have the ability to grow and develop on their own. Viruses don’t have the ability to reproduce on their own without the help of a keeper
There are two main types of cells in the world. The simplest cells such as bacteria are known as Prokaryotic cells, and human cells are known as Eukaryotic cells. The main difference between each of these cells is that a eukaryotic cell has a nucleus and a membrane bound section in which the cell holds the main DNA which are building blocks of life.
A virus is an infecting agent. Viruses are non-living they need a living host, a living organism to replicate themselves. When it invades a cell it will implant their code that is capable of copying itself. This will cause a detrimental effect, corrupting the system ti its advantage or complete destruction.
- Molecular study (How does your organism carry out its life functions? Nutrition, transport, growth, synthesis, respiration, regulation, metabolic processes, etc.)
Viruses are not entirely alive for the reason they can’t reproduce on their own. A virus is independent of a host and it’s considered a obligated parasite, whose structure is consist of nucleic acid that’s surrounded by a coat of protein called a capsid. Viruses have evolved over time, about 10 million years ago, and they still have been evolution over time from prokaryote cells or eukaryotic
Cells as we learn are capable of reproduction. Cell division according to the book is a process that produces genetically identical daughter cells. Some living organisms are able to reproduce a sexually. In this process Chromosomes are duplicated and then distributed during the process of mitosis. The offspring are exactly the same as the parent as well as each other. Certain organisms such as humans and animals reproduce sexually by the bond of an egg cell from a female and a sperm cell from a male. These organisms carry out meiosis. Genes in a eukaryotic species are grouped up together in chromosomes found in the nucleus, each of the chromosomes contain one long strand of DNA. Before cells begin to divide the chromosomes duplicate making
In order for cells and organisms to “live” they need to perform certain tasks such as produce energy through respiration, send messages, maintenance and reproduction. To enable the cell to do so, it contains within small structures called organelles, each organelle is different and carries out a specific function.
Though viruses fit some of the characteristics of life they do not fit of all of them. The traits of viruses are much different from other types of living beings. For example, viruses have different structures than other things like bacteria. As stated on an article on wikipedia
Viruses are a gray area to scientists. Are they living, or non-living? Viruses resemble seeds in the way that they carry the potential for life, but “they do not attain the more autonomous state of life” (Are Viruses Alive, Villarreal, Luis P). Viruses are living because they share similar traits to living organisms and they accomplish tasks that non-living things cannot.
My claim is that viruses are not living things. First of all, they do not match all six characteristics of life, which explain that living things are ‘made of cells, they reproduce with DNA, grow and develop, use energy, respond, and evolve.’
Prokaryotic cells can vary in their structure depending on where they reside, but all prokaryotic cells have certain features in common. All prokaryotic cells have a cell wall; a cell wall gives structure and shape to the cell while providing a place for the flagella to anchor. They have a plasma membrane, which is just inside the cell and serves as a
Viruses are part of our day on day life, they appear everywhere, and could be transferred very easily, either by sexual activity, eating food, and drinking. Some viruses are harmful and some not so much, but the question is, are they an actual living organism? It's a very difficult thing to ask but the answer is no, and science is always there to layout the facts.