What is a cell?

Cells are the basic building blocks of living things. The human body is composed of trillions of cells, all with their own specialised function.

Cells are the basic structures of all living organisms.

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Cells provide structure for the body, take in nutrients from food and carry out important functions.

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Cells group together to form tissues, which in turn group together to form organs, such as the heart and brain.

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Our cells contain a number of functional structures called organelles.

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These organelles carry out tasks such as making proteins, processing chemicals and generating energy for the cell.

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The nucleus is based at the centre of the cell and is the ‘control room’ for the cell.

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The genome is found within the nucleus.

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