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what are 3 main ideas of cell theory

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Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
The three classical main ideas (tenets) of cell theory are:

1. All living things are made of one or more cells.
- Examples: bacteria are single-celled; animals and plants are multicellular.

2. The cell is the basic unit of structure and organization in organisms.
- Cells are the smallest units that carry out all life functions (metabolism, growth, response).

3. All cells come from preexisting cells.
- New cells are produced by cell division (e.g., mitosis, binary fission), so cells do not arise spontaneously.

(Modern extensions often add that cells contain DNA as their genetic material and that energy flow and biochemical reactions occur within cells.)