The document discusses the cell theory, which has three main parts: 1) the cell is the basic unit of life, 2) all living things are made of cells, and 3) cells come from pre-existing cells. Many scientists contributed to the development of the cell theory, including Anton van Leeuwenhoek who invented the first microscope and observed bacteria and protists, Robert Hooke who observed "cells" in cork, and Theodor Schwann and Matthais Schleiden who stated that plants and animals are made of cells, respectively. Rudolph Virchow further discovered that all cells come from pre-existing cells, cementing the cell theory.