Introduction

Onion epidermis with large cells under l

Essential Questions:

What do we see when we take a closer look?
How are the structures of the animal cell and plant cell similar?
How are the structures of the animal cell and plant cell different?

Welcome Scientists. Choose your own adventure.

Plant Cell

Adventure

Hello scientists,

I'm here in the rainforest. We've recently discovered a plant that is known to cure cancer.

Unfortunately, we don't have enough of these plants because they're endangered.

We need you to observe the plant cells and recreate a model so that we can bioengineer this plant and hopefully cure cancer.

Good luck scientists!

Scientists let's get some background information so we can start saving patients.

All living things are made of cells.

Here's an up-close picture of some cells.

As you can see, they look like a wall. They're often called the building blocks of life.

Most cells cannot be seen with the unaided human eye.

They need a microscope.

Plants are multicellular which means they have many cells. Let's zoom in and take a look at some plant cells. Look at all those cells!

Unlike animal cells which need nutrients supplied by eating, plant cells are special they can manufacture their own food. Let's zoom in a little further and look at a single plant cell.

The organelles perform the essential functions of the cell which are necessary for the cells' survival.

Chloroplasts are organelles only found in plant cells. They contain a green pigment called chlorophyll.

Chlorophyll is essential for photosynthesis, the process by which plants make food. Here we find the chloroplasts.

The sunlight water, minerals, and carbon dioxide are all absorbed by the plant the plant then uses them to make glucose or sugar which is the energy or the food for the plant.

Oxygen is also produced by the plant in this cycle which is then led off into the air.

There are many more organelles that we need to research to be able to solve this problem.

I'm back in the lab observing the plant.

I've singled in on a single plant cell.

As you can see, the single plant cell is made up of many different organelles.

It's your job to research these organelles and tell their function so that we can successfully bioengineer the cell.

We are depending on you!

Thank you, scientists.

Animal Cell

Adventure

Hello doctors,

I'm in a developing country, and the new disease has broken out that's killing healthy cells in the population, and we need you to help make an artificial cell so that we can transplant this into our patients.

It’s up to you to research these animal cells to find out how an animal cell looks and can be recreated.

We need you to put your best effort into this, and hopefully, we can save these very sick people

Thank You, doctors!

All living things are made of cells.

Let's zoom in and look at the cells. They're often called the building blocks of life because they look like bricks.

Most cells cannot be seen with the unaided human eye. You need a microscope.

Animals are multicellular which means they have many cells.

Here we see blood cells.

Cells serve as both the building blocks of all tissues and organs in an animal's body and as a command center to control the functions of the body.

Let's zoom in a little further and look at a single animal cell. The organelles perform the essential functions of the cell necessary for the cells’ survival.

If we zoom in closer, we can see the mitochondria organelle. Its job is to take in nutrients from the cell break it down and turn it into energy. It's often called the powerhouse organelle.

There are many more organelles that we need to research to be able to solve this problem.

Hi, doctors, I'm back in the lab, and I'm carefully studying this animal cell. We need you to create a model and explain the functions of these organelles so we can make an artificial cell to save lives

We need you, doctors!