Cells show tremendous diversity in size, shape, structure and function. Robert Hooke first observed cells in 1665 when examining a thin slice of cork under a microscope. Cells can be prokaryotic or eukaryotic, and range enormously in size from 0.1um to over 2m in length. Cell shape also varies greatly between species, with spherical, flat, elongated and branched shapes that often correlate to a cell's specialized function. This diversity arises from cells differentiating and specializing during development to perform distinct roles in multicellular organisms.