GCSE Biology · AQA 8461 · Topic 4.1
Cell biology
Key points
- All living things are made of cells. Eukaryotic cells (animals, plants, fungi) have a nucleus; prokaryotic cells (bacteria) do not.
- Specialised cells have features that suit their job, and stem cells can become many types of cell.
- Microscopes let us see cells: . Electron microscopes show far more detail than light microscopes.
- Cells divide by mitosis for growth and repair; the cell cycle copies the DNA first.
- Substances move in and out of cells by diffusion, osmosis and active transport.
- Large surface area to volume ratios, thin surfaces and a good blood supply make exchange surfaces efficient.
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Cell biology is the foundation for the whole course: every process you meet later, from digestion to inheritance, happens in or between cells. This topic looks at what cells are made of, how they divide and how substances get in and out of…
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