Organelles Playlist

We all love cells and their organelles! Learning about cells from pictures and text can be a bit boring and monotonous. A good way to solidify your learning is by listening to these catchy tunes about the different organelles and their functions! Browse through these links and find one that helps you on your quest to learn about cells. 

Vocabulary Words:

Cytoplasm - area between the nucleus and plasma membrane

Endoplasmic Reticulum - System of membranous channels and saccules 

    -Rough ER - has ribosomes; makes proteins that will be used outside of the cell

    -Smooth ER - lacks ribosomes; synthesis of complex carbohydrates and lipids

Golgi Apparatus - receives vesicles (containing proteins and lipids from the smooth ER); packages, processes, and distributes them within the cell; involved in secretion; forms lysosomes

Ribosomes - location where protein synthesis occurs (large and small subunit); can be found alone in cytoplasm, in groups (polyribosomes), or attached to ER (rough ER)

    -Ribosomes in cytoplasm - used by mitochondria and chloroplasts

    -Ribosomes on ER - sent out from cell or become part of cell membrane

Cells Cells - Parts of the Cell Rap

This rap is addictive; I guarantee you’ll listen to it more than once! This rap has great animations, good definitions, and does a really good job of explaining the main organelles. 

The Cell Song

Oh no, the singer got sucked into a cell! Luckily he made it out and is here to tell his adventures within the cell with this awesome country song.

Cell Rap

These three girls managed to balance sass and cell knowledge in this well-choreographed dance to their cell rap song.

Cell Organelle Rap - Biology Song - “Take a look at all the organelles”

Yet another rap about cells, this guy manages to teach it with style. 

“The Cell Song” by Keith Smolinski

Smolinski wrote and recorded this awesome upbeat song about organelles that will have you swaying left and right.

Biology Cell Organelle Song

Listening to this cell song to the tune of Justin Bieber is not only educational, but entertaining! 

Enjoy!

~Simply Cells~

The Neglected Cell Parts

It has come to my attention that some parts of the cell do not receive the same fame and respect as other organelles and other parts of the cell. Everyone knows about the nucleus and the cytoplasm. What about the others?! Now we think it’s time that these parts of the cell get their well-deserved attention and praise.

Cytoskeleton:

The cytoskeleton is a network of filaments and tubules that extends from the nucleus to the plasma membrane. The cytoskeleton maintains the cell shape and causes the cell and its organelles to move. Without the cytoskeleton nothing would keep the cell in place! The cytoskeleton contains two equally neglected cell parts: microfilaments and microtubules.

Microfilaments:

Microfilaments are thin protein threads that help give the cell shape. They also enable the entire cell (or parts of the cell) to move. Without the microfilaments cell mobility would be really difficult! 

Microtubules:

Microtubules are long, hollow protein cylinders that form a rigid skeleton for the cell. They assist in moving substances within the cell. Without the microtubules nothing would keep the rigid form of the cell! 

Centrioles:

The centrioles are involved in cell division which is a very important function of the cell. The centrioles look like short cylinders that have a 9 + 0 pattern. The middle is hollow (0) and there are nine triplets of microtubules (9). Without centrioles cell division would be really difficult! The centriole helps organize the spindle fibers and directly organizes the microtubules within the cilia and flagella.

Cilia and Flagella:

Both cilia and flagella are involved in cell movement. Cilia is small and has numerous hairs. Flagella is a large, single hair. The pattern for cilia and flagella is 9 + 2. There are nine sets of microtubule doublets (9) around two central single microtubules (2) . Without the cilia and flagella cell movement would be extremely difficult!  

I hope you've learned more about these parts of the cell and know that there is more to a cell than just the nucleus and cytoplasm. 

~Simply Cells~

Organelle of the Month

Each month, Simply Cells chooses one organelle (a tiny specialized structure that performs specific cellular functions) to honor and showcase. We’ll explain all parts of the organelle and tell you all about its contents and functions! 

March’s Organelle: The Nucleus!!

The nucleus is a very important part of the cell; the nucleus is basically the command center of the cell. The nucleus stores genetic information and controls metabolic activities. The nucleus contains many things: chromatin, nucleoplasm, nucleolus, nuclear envelope, and nuclear pores. Chromatin (DNA and protein) is the genetic information that is stored in the nucleus. Right before cell division, the chromatin will coil to form chromosomes. The nucleoplasm is the semi-fluid material inside the nucleus. The darkened region that makes ribosomal RNA is the nucleolus. The nucleus is surrounded by a double membrane called the nuclear membrane. Openings in the nuclear membrane (called nuclear pores) allow rRNA to leave the nucleus and lets protein in. 

The nucleus is a vital part of the cell and deserves recognition!! 

~Simply Cells~

Operation--Cell Styled

A new game about cells has been released by Milton Bradley! The company is now selling a new version of the popular game, Operation, called Operation--Cell Styled. This game is exactly like Operation except instead of operating on a person, people will be operating on cells. On the cards there will be a clue as to which organelle they must remove. The person who correctly identifies and removes the most cell parts wins! 

Examples:

A card could say: 

“These are vesicles produced by the golgi apparatus; it’s involved in intracellular digestion; when cells bring in macromolecules, the vesicle fuses to _____ and the contents are digested.”  

What is the cell part that has to be removed?

Lysosome! 

Another card could say:

“This cell part stores substances and are membranous sacs;  it’s larger and singular in plants.”

What is the cell part that has to be removed?

Vacuoles! 

The day this game hit the stores, we bloggers at Simply Cells went out and bought one. In-between blogging and talking about cells, we play this game to pass the time. It’s lots of fun and sure to be the best game of the year! 

~Simply Cells~ 

The Mighty Cell Parts

There once were two warring cell parts within the plant cell: one, Chlory (short for chloroplasts), the other, Mito (short for mitochondria). They argued and bickered all the time over who was the better organelle. Chlorys claimed that they were better because they use solar energy to make sugars for photosynthesis. They claimed that their contents are better organized; their thylakoids (sacs that contain chlorophyll which absorb solar energy) are in stacks called grana. The fluid that contains enzymes in chlorys, stroma, is surrounded by a double membrane. Mitos rebutted by saying that they also had a double membrane and a fluid that contained enzymes, matrix. Mitos claimed they were better because they broke down the sugar to produce ATP/energy (cell respiration). The mitos said they were better because their inner membrane, cristae, was folded to allow for an increased space on which cellular respiration could happen. Finally the nucleus intervened and told them that they both were equally important to the cell and to the plant. Mitos and chlorys finally realized this to be true and have been friends ever since.
Chlory:

Mito: 

~Simply Cells~

The Microscope: Do you know how it works?

People use microscopes all the time in science. Do you know how it works though? Can you distinguish between different types of microscopes? Once you’ve read this article, the answer to those questions will be “Yes!” 

The purpose of a microscope is to magnify. A microscope can magnify a cell so we can observe the cell up close and personal. Before we explain the different types of microscopes, there are two terms that one should know about microscopes:

Magnification: Increase of an object’s apparent size

Resolution/Resolving Power: The distance needed to distinguish two points as separate. 

Compound Light Microscope:

Light passes through a set of glass lenses to enlarge the cell. The compound light microscope can magnify up to 2000X. The resolving power is up to 200 nanometers. The image is flat. This microscope can view living specimen which sets it apart from the other two types of microscopes we will talk about. 


Transmission Electron Microscope:

Electrons pass through the specimen and are brought into focus by the set of magnetic lenses to enlarge the specimen. The image is flat. The resolving power is up to .2 nanometers. One cannot view living specimens with this microscope. This microscope has high magnification, up to 500,000X which sets it apart from the other microscopes. 

Scanning Electron Microscope:

A narrow beam of electrons is scanned over the surface of a specimen (which is coated with a thin layer of metal). This microscope magnifies up to 100,000X. The resolving power is 1 nanometer. This microscope cannot view living specimen. This microscope produces a 3D image which sets it apart from other microscopes.

And now you know more about microscopes and how they work! 

~Simply Cells~ 

Eukaryotes and prokaryotes, what’s the difference?

Many people have asked us here at Simply Cells what the difference is between eukaryotes and prokaryotes. Here’s a quick breakdown that will hopefully answer your question. 

Examples of Prokaryotes: Bacteria

Examples of Eukaryotes: Protists, Plants, Animals, Fungus

Nucleus?

Prokaryotes - No

Eukaryotes - Yes

Cell Wall (in plant cells, protects and supports the cell) / Plasma Membrane (surrounds all cells; regulates what materials enter and leave the cell)? 

Prokaryotes - Yes

Eukaryotes - Yes

Ribosomes?

Prokaryotes - Yes

Eukaryotes - Yes

Other organelles?

Prokaryotes - No

Eukaryotes - Yes

Cytosol (fluid in-between organelles)?

Prokaryotes - Yes

Eukaryotes - Yes

Cilia or Flagella?

Prokaryotes - Yes

Eukaryotes - Yes

DNA?

Prokaryotes - Yes; single loop in nucleoid

Eukaryotes - Yes; in nucleus

Cell specialization?

Prokaryotes - No

Eukaryotes - Yes if multicelled

We hope this helped answer your question! 

~Simply Cells~