Technology and Cell Theory
Asses Impact of Technology on Cell Theory
Technology has had a profound impact on the development of cell theory, allowing scientists to view the components of organisms on an unprecedentedly small scale. Before the creation of microscopes, misconceptions about how organisms were originated arose. The idea of spontaneous generation, a theory held for nearly two millennia, proposed that organisms originated from inorganic matter. The lack of technology impeded on the development of cell theory, until the creation of the microscope.
In 1663, Robert Hooke, proposed that organic matter was composed of what he called, cells. He was able to view these cells as he used a simple microscope, which allowed him to see what organisms were composed of. The advent of the simple microscope however was not enough for the scientific community to accept this theory, as the images had low resolution. So between 1674 – 1683, Anton Van Leewenhoek developed a microscope that allowed for greater magnification, of upto 200x. This increased magnification and resolution has allowed him to view bacteria, and this time the scientific community accepted the findings due to the resolution of the images. In 1838, German scientists, Theodor Schwann and Mattibias Schleiden, discussed the similarities in the animal and plant cells that they were observing through their compound light microscopes. They observed that both cells contained nuclei, and this provided them with the basis of their cell theory. The availability and magnification of microscopes made this discovery possible, and is what provided two of the 3 main points of the cell theory. The final part of the theory, that states that all cells come from pre existing cells, was proposed by Rudolf Virchow. Through his microscope, he was able to witness and name the process of mitosis, which is how cells reproduce.
Technology has facilitated not only the discovery of the three main points of cell theory, but it also did not at all
Technology has had a profound impact on the development of cell theory, allowing scientists to view the components of organisms on an unprecedentedly small scale. Before the creation of microscopes, misconceptions about how organisms were originated arose. The idea of spontaneous generation, a theory held for nearly two millennia, proposed that organisms originated from inorganic matter. The lack of technology impeded on the development of cell theory, until the creation of the microscope.
In 1663, Robert Hooke, proposed that organic matter was composed of what he called, cells. He was able to view these cells as he used a simple microscope, which allowed him to see what organisms were composed of. The advent of the simple microscope however was not enough for the scientific community to accept this theory, as the images had low resolution. So between 1674 – 1683, Anton Van Leewenhoek developed a microscope that allowed for greater magnification, of upto 200x. This increased magnification and resolution has allowed him to view bacteria, and this time the scientific community accepted the findings due to the resolution of the images. In 1838, German scientists, Theodor Schwann and Mattibias Schleiden, discussed the similarities in the animal and plant cells that they were observing through their compound light microscopes. They observed that both cells contained nuclei, and this provided them with the basis of their cell theory. The availability and magnification of microscopes made this discovery possible, and is what provided two of the 3 main points of the cell theory. The final part of the theory, that states that all cells come from pre existing cells, was proposed by Rudolf Virchow. Through his microscope, he was able to witness and name the process of mitosis, which is how cells reproduce.
Technology has facilitated not only the discovery of the three main points of cell theory, but it also did not at all