In the 1600's, Robert Hooke, and English scientist, used a crude microscope to examine bits of cork. Cork is derived from the bark layer of certain trees. Upon seeing the cork under the microscope, Hooke named the spaces within the cork 'cells', because they looked like empty rooms of a monastery. Although he coined the term cell, an ironic feature of cork is that it is dead plant material. Knowing this, what feature of cells would Robert Hooke NOT have been able to observe under the microscope while looking at cork?

Question

Biology

Giana Faulkner

22 January, 22:50

In the 1600's, Robert Hooke, and English scientist, used a crude microscope to examine bits of cork. Cork is derived from the bark layer of certain trees. Upon seeing the cork under the microscope, Hooke named the spaces within the cork 'cells', because they looked like empty rooms of a monastery. Although he coined the term cell, an ironic feature of cork is that it is dead plant material. Knowing this, what feature of cells would Robert Hooke NOT have been able to observe under the microscope while looking at cork?

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Answers (1)

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Nathalie Bush · Answer 1

Robert Hooke observed the plant cell which was dead it appeared as empty space to him, he only saw the cell wall of the cell he could not observe the nucleus of the cell.

Explanation:

Robert Hooke did not get to see the nucleus of the cell as it was a dried out cell of the plant.

He only saw the wall which he said imitate honeycomb.

Robert Hooke was wrong in his interpretation that only plant has cells, over the time we know that all living organisms are made up of smaller subunits ie cell.

Microscopes have made it clear that cell is an independent entity carrying organelles like nucleus, cytoplasm, mitochondria, nucleolus, and cell membrane.