what kind of cell is this? course hero

by Mikel Bayer 5 min read

Description

All living things are made of cells. They may have only one cell, as in bacteria, or they made be made up of trillions of cells, such as in humans. Each cell has structures within it that perform various functions to keep the organism alive.

At A Glance

Cells are the smallest units of life, and all organisms are composed of cells.

Why do cells remain small?

Most cells remain small in order to maintain continuity of the internal parts and to ensure that materials can be easily transported back and forth across the membrane. Having a small size also increases the surface area to volume ratio of the cell. As cells grow larger, their internal volume increases.

What is the lipid bilayer?

The lipid bilayer (a thin polar membrane made of two layers of lipid molecules) is made up of many different substances, all of which contribute to the selectively permeable nature of the cell membrane.

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