Cell biology studies cells and their components. Key developments include Anton van Leeuwenhoek observing cells under a microscope in the 1600s and Rudolf Virchow proposing that all cells come from existing cells in 1850. The cell theory states that all living things are made of cells, cells are the basic functional unit of life, and new cells are produced from existing cells. Cells contain organelles that perform specific functions like the nucleus which houses genetic material, cytoplasm, and membrane. The nuclear envelope contains pores that regulate transport between the nucleus and cytoplasm.