What Did Hooke Observe to Name Cells

Subject : Biology

Question:

What object was Robert Hooke observing when he came up with the name “cell”?

A. Cork

B. Water

C. Leaf

D. Blood smear

Expert Verified Solution:

The correct answer is A. Cork.

In the 1660s, Robert Hooke, an English scientist, was among the first to explore the microscopic world. Using a microscope he had designed, Hooke examined a thin slice of cork, a material derived from the bark of the cork oak tree. What he saw through the microscope were tiny, hollow, box-like structures arranged in a grid-like pattern. These structures reminded him of the small rooms, or “cells,” that monks lived in at a monastery. Consequently, he coined the term “cells” to describe these microscopic units.

Hooke’s observations were detailed in his seminal work, Micrographia (1665), where he illustrated these structures and provided descriptions. His work was groundbreaking because it introduced the concept of cells as the fundamental building blocks of life, although at that time, the full significance of cells in living organisms was not yet understood. Hooke’s discovery laid the foundation for cell theory, which was further developed by subsequent scientists and remains a cornerstone of biology today.