All living organisms are made up of the same basic unit which is the cell. The cell is known as the building blocks of life and as horse observed by Robert Hooke who was an English Natural Philosopher in 1665. He also compared his discovery to the cells in a honeycomb, as they show a similar structure. In this article, we will go over what are Prokaryotic & Eukaryotic Cells and their similarities and differences!

​

​​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​​

​

​

Prokaryotic Cells/ Prokaryotes:
Prokaryotic cells are one of the early groups of living organisms on earth, with some fossil artifacts dating back to almost 3.5 billion years ago!

In the earth’s ancient environment, the prokaryotic cells thrived in the ecosystem. Some cells used up chemical energy and some used the sun’s energy. These cells thrived for so many years that they evolved and adapted, eventually creating eukaryotes. Moreover, some prokaryotic cells consist of special structures called mososomes which help in cellular respiration. 

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Common examples of Prokaryotic Organisms include:

• Bacteria

• Archaea

​

Eukaryotic Cells/ Eukaryotes:
Eukaryotes are more complex and larger compared to prokaryotes. Eukaryotes are organisms that have a nucleus and other organelles confined by a plasma membrane. They are around 10–100 μm. Despite most of them being multicellular organisms, there are some that are single celled.

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

​

Common examples of Eukaryotic Organisms include:

• Animals

• Plants

• Fungi

• Algae​

 

Differences between Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Cells: