Cell biology, cell theory, prokaryotic & eukaryotic cells
The biological science which deals with the study of structure, function, molecular organization, growth, reproduction and genetics of the cells, is called cytology (Gr., kytos = hollow vessel or cell; logous = to discourse) or cell biology. The cell (from Latin cella, meaning "small room or small chamber") is the basic structural, functional, and biological unit of all known living organisms. A cell is the smallest unit of life that can replicate independently, and cells are often called the "building blocks of life". The study of cells is called cell biology. 1665: Robert Hooke examined a thin slice cut from a piece of dried cork under the compound microscopes. He described cork as a honey comb of chambers or “cells”. He coins the term cell (from Latin cella, meaning "small room or small chamber ") in his book Micrographia.