Cell+Analogies


 * A Cell like a Medievel City **


 * The wall around the city is like the cell membrane. ** The wall controls movement of people and items coming in and out of the city through the various ports of entry that are controlled by immigration. The cell membrane controls movement of items in and out of the cell through various pores **The castle is like the cell's nucleus.** The castle is the control centre of the city, it regulates all activity in the city. The nucleus is the control center of the cell regulating all cell activity. **The castle wall is like the nuclear membrane.** The castle wall controls movement in and out of the castle through guarded entrances. The nuclear membrane controls the movement of substances in and out of the nucleus through pores. **The king is like the cell's chromosomes.** The king is found in the castle, he directs all activities in the city including expansion and creation of another kingdom should the city grow too large. Chromosomes are found in the nucleus and directs all activities of the cell including growth and reproduction. **The city roads are like the endoplasmic reticulum.** Roads are the transport system that allows materials to be carried throughout the city. The ER is a transport system that carries materials throughout the cell. **The machine shops are like the cell's ribosomes.** The machine shops are built along the roads, here they create materials to build the city, instruction is received at the tech school located in the castle. Ribosomes are attached to the ER, they are protein factories that create the cells building materials. They receive instruction from the nucleolus in the nucleus. **The Garden is like the Cell's Mitochondria.** The Garden takes manure and seeds that have been brought into the city and transforms them into food that provides energy for the people and horses. The mitochondria produces ATP which is food for the cell allowing it to function. **The grocer and lagoon in the city act like a cell's vacuole.** The grocer stores the food for the city and the lagoon is where the city waste is stored. The vacuole stores both the cells waste and food. **The horse drawn wagons are like the cell's lysosomes.** The wagons travel around the city collecting peoples garbage and fixing up what needs to be repaired. The lysosomes move around the cell cleaning up and doing cell maintenance.

(http://www.enotes.com/biology/q-and-a/what-some-examples-cell-analogies-52615)

A Cell is like a Factory __ cell « factory __ : A cell (in a multicellular organism) is an identifiable unit that is part of a larger organism just as a factory is an identifiable unit that is part of society. A cell uses material and energy resources and produces products just as a factory does. __ cell products « factory products __ : Cells do not work in isolation but provide and receive resources from other cells or from the surrounding environment. Factories produce products so that they may be sold and earn money for the corporation. Similarly, cells produce products that may be used by surrounding cells, and in turn receive resources from surrounding cells. __ organelle membranes « walls __ : In factories, walls are used to separate regions with different functions. For example, the paint room is separated from the upholstery shop so each can carry on its functions without interference from the other. __ nucleus « headquarters __ : The nucleus of a cell controls the operations of a cell. In a similar manner, factory headquarters controls the operations of a factory. The nucleus is separated from the rest of the cell by a nuclear membrane that allows it to function without interruption from surrounding organelles, just as the office walls of the headquarters allow planners and managers to direct the operations of the factory without being distracted by surrounding operations. __ nuclear pore « doors __ : Communication is essential to the proper functioning of a factory. Doors allow people from different departments to visit and communicate. In a similar manner, nuclear pores allow for information and resources to flow between the nucleus and the cell it manages. __ DNA/chromosome « plans __ : Each factory has plans that govern the production and development of their products, as well as plans that govern the day-to-day operation of the factory. DNA is analogous to such plans, providing the code not only for all cell products, but also the proteins that govern daily operations within the cell. __ smooth endoplasmic reticulum « hallways __ : Factories have hallways through which information from the office travels to the workers in all departments. Similarly, the cell has smooth endoplasmic reticulum through which it is believed that messenger RNA travels from the nucleus to places where it is decoded. __ ribosome « worker: __ Factory workers “translate” instructions from headquarters into products. In an analogous fashion, ribosomes are the site where messenger RNA is translated into proteins. __ rough endoplasmic reticulum « assembly line __ : Workers gather in regions of the factory where assembly takes place. Similarly, ribosomes are positioned on rough endoplasmic reticulum where the proteins are assembled. __ protein « product __ : Factories produce products for internal and external use. Similarly, cells produce proteins for internal use and for export. Proteins result when DNA code has been transcribed into RNA and translated into polypeptide chains. Similarly, factory products result when plans from the office are copied and distributed to workers who combine various components to assemble a product. __ cytoplasm « stock room __ : A factory needs a stock room from which parts can be taken for use on the assembly line. Similarly, resources are distributed through the cytoplasm until they are used by surrounding organelles. __ mitochondrion « powerhouse __ : A powerhouse converts energy from one form to another. For example, the powerhouse at a hydroelectric dam converts the kinetic energy of falling water into electrical energy for distribution to homes and businesses. In a similar manner, mitochondria convert energy from the bonds in glucose to the phosphate bonds of ATP. __ ATP « electricity __ : Electricity is a flexible energy source that can be easily distributed to homes and businesses. Similarly, ATP is a flexible energy source that is used to power the growth, movement and metabolism of the cell. __ Golgi apparatus « warehouse __ : Products from a factory are generally stored in a warehouse before exporting. The Golgi apparatus may serve as a warehouse where proteins are stored prior to export.

(http://www.csun.edu/science/books/sourcebook/chapters/10-analogies/analogy-cell.html)