Benefits and Disadvantages of Studying Cell Biology

BENEFITS AND DISADVANTAGES OF STUDYING CELL BIOLOGY Cell biology is a branch of biology that specializes in studying the structure and function of cells and their cell organelles. Apart from that, the process of interaction and communication between cells to carry out working mechanisms is also an important part in explaining interactions between organelles in cells. There are many benefits that can be gained when studying cells, because it is based on the idea that basically life begins with cells. In the body of an organism, cells have very diverse sizes and shapes, which are usually related to the unique and specific function of each cell. In general, as explained at the beginning, cells will consist of two types, namely prokaryotic and eukaryotic. Most prokaryotes are unicellular, so they are able to carry out life mechanisms through metabolism independently. Meanwhile, eukaryotes require coordination and communication with other cells to form networks so they can carry out complex functions to support the life of the organism. You can imagine how humans develop from one cell which is the result of fertilization of an ovum and sperm to form a zygote. Scientifically, this process can be explained as the development and differentiation of each type of cell which forms into various tissues in the body. Studying cell biology will really help understand the overall mechanisms of life through observing the parts and behavior of cells. Cells possess almost all the characteristics of life, starting from reproduction, metabolism, coordination and communication. By studying biocells, it can be indirectly indicated that cell behavior adequately represents the conditions that occur in the organism's body. But the existence of various types of cells that later become muscles, skin, bones, nerves and blood cells is not enough to produce a human body. Each cell must be arranged and organized properly into tissues, organs and other body parts. The very rapid development of Cell Biology has resulted in a lot of research that focuses on certain parts of the cell. For example, currently it is known that certain types of proteins can act as triggers of metabolic activity in cells and vice versa, proteins that inhibit activity in cells. This knowledge and understanding makes humans think in a reductionist way that to overcome a disease or produce certain proteins that are needed, it is enough to treat the small part in question. This concept of thinking ultimately becomes detrimental to humans as a whole, because they tend to have a narrow mindset and ignore other factors that might even influence the part being researched or observed. An example is research to produce a drug that can inhibit Alzheimer's disease (taken from a lecture with Prof. Sutiman, 2012) with therapy using p38 kinase (a protein) applied to microglia cells. The research results show that at the cellular level, this therapy can be carried out. However, when applied to patients suffering from Alzheimer's, it turns out the results are not as expected or occur as the results appear at the cellular level. This condition shows that there are other factors which turn out to be very influential so that the therapy in question is not as expected. Even though from a certain perspective, if humans do not respond wisely it will be detrimental, Cell Biology provides a great discourse on the concept of life and life. The many discoveries at the cellular level and even at the molecular level that support cellular life have given rise to many new insights for humans to overcome existing practical problems, for example disease, food shortages and the environment. Many of these problems were finally helped by research on Cell Biology. Thus, if the concept of human life is able to reflect on cells, which include coordination, reproduction, mechanisms and order, then it could be that humans are able to develop a holistic mindset so that they appreciate life and make good use of it. SUMMARY 1. Cells are the smallest unit of an organism's structure, which is unique in its characteristics which as a whole are able to represent the characteristics of the organism, namely: carrying out mechanisms, adaptation, reproduction, coordination, and also socialization. 2. Cell biology is a branch of biology that studies cells in detail starting from the structure of their organelles and the function of each organelle. 3. Studying cells can be done in many ways, with the main tool for studying their structure being a microscope. There are many types of microscopes for observing cells, including light microscopes, transmission electron on microscope, TEM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). The use of a microscope is increasingly clarified with the support of staining techniques, for example with fluorescein. 4. Studying the mechanisms in cells, at the molecular level, can be done in many ways, including centrifugation to observe cell organelles and their parts. 5. Studying cells has benefits as well as disadvantages if there are errors in understanding and application. The benefit of studying Cell Biology is that it makes it easier to know and understand the processes that occur in cells which represent the processes that occur in organisms. Meanwhile, the disadvantage is that it gives rise to an attitude of reductionism, namely the assumption that with successful application at the cellular level it will have the same results if applied to organisms.