Concepts about cells
What is a cell?
The cell is the smallest unit that makes up the tissues of all living things. All organisms are composed of cells.
Fundamentally, eukaryotic cells (the cells of animals, plants, and fungi) are made up of a membrane that separates them from the outside, an internal space called cytoplasm, where several structures necessary for their functioning are found, and a nucleus where other structures of great importance for the vital process of the cell and the organism reside.
Each cell in the body has specific functions; for example, brain cells have different functions than the cells that form muscle tissue; however, there is complex communication between all cells which allows the whole body to function.
Each cell contains all the hereditary information necessary for the control of its own life process, the development and functioning of the organism, as well as for the transmission of that information to the next generation.
The cell membrane
The cell or plasma membrane is a layer that surrounds cells and protects them from the external environment. Its main function is nutrition, as it allows nutrients to enter and waste products to exit. Cell recognition and communication with the external environment also occur through the cell membrane.
The cell nucleus
The spherical cell nucleus is the organelle that directs the cell's functions. Within the nucleus are important structures, including the chromosomes.