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Hooke built a compound microscope and observed a cork. He noticed the pores of the cork and named them "cells" after where the monks lived. This was the first discovery of the cell.
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Leeuwenhoek improved the magnification of the microscope. He observed pond water and first discovered protists. He discovered saliva and first discover bacteria. The introduction of single-celled organisms opened many new opportunities for the biological community.
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Dutrochet aimed his studies toward the physiology of plants and animals. He observed the mechanics of respiration, light sensitivity, and geotropism and came to discover osmosis in plants.
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Scheleiden said that, instead of forms of plants and dried specimens, botany should be based on plant cells. He urged botanists to observed live plants under microscopes.
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Schwann was inspired by Matthais Schleiden who discovered the plant cell. He opposed the popular belief that a mysterious force created living things and said that all cells come from cells.
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Virchow observed diseased cells under microscopes and found that the cell is the basic unit of human life. He also proposed that diseased cells come from healthy cells.