1. The cell theory states that all living things are made of cells, cells are the basic units of structure and function of living things, and new cells are produced from existing cells.
2. Key developments in the understanding of cells included the invention of the microscope in the 16th century which allowed the discovery of cells, and contributions from scientists in the 17th-19th centuries who observed cell structures and proposed that plants and animals are made of cells.
3. Cells are categorized as either prokaryotic or eukaryotic. Prokaryotic cells lack a nucleus and membrane-bound organelles while eukaryotic cells have a nucleus enclosed in a nuclear membrane and other membrane-bound