Hidden Life of the Cell Paper Example

The most interesting thing in the video is the way the cells have developed and evolved over a period of years, thus improving the way they operate. The evolution, for instance, has enabled the cells to fight viruses. It has been known that health conditions caused by viruses are the hardest to cure. The viruses can mutate, which changes their state and a drug made to fight the virus is no longer able to work on it. The cells have evolved over a period of four billion years to be able to fight the viruses. In the body of human beings, the cells work together to make sure that a person is healthy unless there is an attack from an external substance. The cells have specific tasks; for example, there are those that fight foreign bodies while others transport essential substances to different parts of the body.

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The cells are known as microscopic machines which are working all through and gain their energy from the mitochondria. It is interesting how the mitochondria are able to manufacture enough energy for all the 120 trillion cells which make up the body of a human being. The cells are in continuous communication with each other, which explains how they are able to work together inside the body of a person (Costello74). Communication is one through chemical signals which are used as phrases or words for interaction. The cells do not last forever, and they are replaced by new ones produced to replace the ones that are worn out. The DNA, for example, is responsible for the production of proteins with a double helix giving commands to the cells on what they are supposed to do.

Another interesting fact concerns the white blood cells which are being referred to as the guardians of the boy, which means they exist in large numbers. The main work of the red blood cells is checking whether there is damage on the proteins thus making sure that the immunity of an individual is maintained. The video indicates that the cells are under constant attack and it is hard for a person to notice due to the defense mechanism unless the external substances are too strong weakening the immune system. The foreign bodies find their way to the body of a person in even the simplest ways such as sneezing. The viruses are considered as the most harmful enemies the cells have to encounter. They are aimed at destroying the white blood cells which are responsible for fighting organisms affecting the health of an individual.

Conclusion

The cells can produce antibodies which act as the defense mechanism against the viruses. The antibodies combine the viruses together, thus making it easy for the white body cells to destroy them. There are also other defense mechanisms used to fight viruses such as the cell membrane due to the proteins on the surface each with a different task (Costello74). Molecules such as water and air are found on the molecules thus creating a barrier to the viruses. The single strand of DNA can make itself into a cell, thus making the cell unable to differentiate between the DNA of a foreign body and that of its own. However, through the ribosomes which are made into proteins, they are able to fight the viruses.

Work Cited

Costello74. "The Hidden Life of the Cell - Video Dailymotion." Dailymotion, Dailymotion, 1 May 2013, www.dailymotion.com/video/xzh0kb.