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first compound microscope
Zacharias and Hans Janssen invented the first compound microscope by placing 2 lenses in a tube. By introducing a device that increased the ability to see tiny living things , Janssen helped to open up the world of microorganisms to direct study. -
Robert Hooke's microscope
In 1665, Hooke used his primitive compound microscope to examine the structure in a slice of cork. He was able to see the honeycomb structure of cell walls from the plant matter, which was the only remaining tissue since the cells were dead. He coined the word "cell" to describe the tiny compartments he saw. The most famous observation in the field of microscopy made by Robert Hooke was that of discovering plant cells by observing microscopic images of thin slices of cork. -
Anton Van Leeuwenhoek's discoveries
Anton van Leeuwenhoek invented the first practical microscopes and this is important because he became the first person to see and describe bacteria, among other microscopic discoveries. -
Discovery of the Cell Nucleus
In 1831, Robert Brown discovered the nucleus in the cell. The nucleus in eukaryotic cells is a protoplasmic body covered by a double membrane that contains hereditary details. This is important because the cell nucleus is the most important organelle in the cell. It contains the genetic material, the DNA, which is responsible for controlling and directing all the activities of the cell. -
The Discovery of Plant Cells
Around 1838, Matthias Schleiden discovered that all plant tissues he examined with a microscope were composed of cells. He was the first to make a general statement about them, declaring that all parts of plants were composed of cells. This is important because plant cells contain many cellular structures, which carry out functions essential for the cell to function and survive. -
Discovery of plant and animal cells
Theodor Schwann and Matthias Jakob Schleiden elucidate the principle that plants and animals are made of cells, concluding that cells are a common unit of structure and development, and thus founding the cell theory. -
Cell Division
All cells arise from pre-existing cells. In fact, the last point was the addition of Rudolf Virchow (1855), a German pathologist who made the important declaration that new cells arise from the division of the pre-existing cells. This is important because cell division is critical for both single-cellular and multi-cellular organisms. -
The Electron Microscope
In 1931, working closely with Knoll, Ruska built the first electron lens, an electromagnet that could focus a beam of electrons, as if it were light. The electron microscope enabled scientists to view cells at a much larger magnification at a higher resolution. This enabled them to view many cell organelles such as ribosomes to be visible as they are too small to be viewed with a light microscope. -
Biology of the cell
The Biology of the Cell Surface is a book by American biologist Ernest Everett Just. Its important because it let us learn more about the biology of the cell. -
Scanning Tunneling Microscope
Gerd Binnig and Heinrich Rohrer are the inventors of the scanning tunneling microscope. Invented in 1981, its important because the device provided the first images of individual atoms on the surfaces of materials.