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Questions for Thought and Discussion

• What are the defining characteristics common to each and every cell on the planet?
• Each human is made up of around 100 trillion tiny microscopic cells, how do these relate to much larger structural parts of the body such as muscles and bones?
• Why is blood a good example of our cellular nature?
• Most cells spend their existence determined by three major events- all beginning with ‘D’. Name them and define them in the correct order?


• Some components within eukaryotic cells are bordered by a double membrane, whereas the majority have a single membrane- how might this have come about?
• In terms of numbers and their distribution, which type of cell can be considered the most successful, and why?
• Why do eukaryotic cells have their DNA isolated within a nucleus, when prokaryotic cells do perfectly well with the DNA floating around amongst the rest of the cell components?
• Why do eukaryotic cells require so much internal membrane compared with prokaryotes?
• Why aren’t viruses the same as cells- and do their modus operandi made them the ultimate parasite?
• Why do some cells divide every few hours, whereas other can last a lifetime?
• Cells can die in more than one way-how and why?
• What is the purpose of Chromosomes, and how is it achieved?


• How does the body defend itself from bacteria?
• Why do trees grow up to the sky?
• Why does a simple worm, no bigger than a comma on this page, have almost as many genes as a human cell?
• How do our senses work?
• Why is cellular change such a natural process and why has it been the driving force in evolution?
• Discuss the ethics and religious arguments in the proposition that “It is acceptable to use embryonic cells in stem cell research”
• Why will the existence of putative cancer stem cells lead to a better understanding of this disease?
• Discuss what the ethical limits of cellular therapy should be.


• If it was possible to get a full read out of your genetic make up including the diseases you are susceptible during a lifetime, would you want to know the details?
• Should we try to recreate a synthetic cell in the laboratory?

Suggested further reading

• David S. Goodsell, The Machinery of Life, (New York: Springer- Verlag, 2009)
• Lewis Wolpert, How We Live and Why We Die: The Secret Lives of Cells, (London: Faber and Faber, 2009)
• Nick Lane, Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2005)
• Denis Nobel, The Music of Life: Biology Beyond Genes, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006)
• Rebecca Skloot, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, (New York: Random House, 2010)