Author: Bethany Brookshire / Source: Science News for Students
Scientists — and people in general — love to divide things into categories. In some ways, life on Earth has done the same. Right now, scientists can divide cells into major categories — prokaryotes (or procaryotes; both spellings are okay) and eukaryotes.
Prokaryotes (PRO-kaer-ee-oats) are individualists. These organisms are small and single-celled. They might form into loose clumps of cells. But prokaryotes will never come together to take on different jobs within a single organism, such as a liver cell or a brain cell.
Eukaryotic cells are generally bigger — up to 10 times bigger, on average, than prokaryotes. Their cells also hold much more DNA than prokaryotic cells do. To hold up that big cell, eukaryotes have a cytoskeleton (Sy-toh-SKEL-eh-tun). Made from a network of protein threads, it forms a scaffold inside the cell to give it strength and help it move.
Keeping it simple
Prokaryotes make up two of the three big domains of life — those super kingdoms that scientists use to organize all living things. The domains of bacteria and archaea (Ar-KEY-uh) consist of prokaryotes only.
These single cells are small, and usually round or rod shaped. They might have one or more flagella (Fla-JEL-uh) — powered tails — hanging off the outside to move around. Prokaryotes often (but not always) have a cell wall for protection.
Inside, these cells throw together all they need to survive. But prokaryotes aren’t very organized. They let all their cell parts hang out together.
Their DNA — the instruction manuals that tell these cells how to build…The post Explainer: Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes appeared first on FeedBox.