Question

Who first propounded the cell theory stating that all living things are made up of cells or of material formed by cells?

• A. Asa Gray
• B. Matthias Jakob Schleiden
• C. Theodor Schwann
• D. Alfred Russel Wallace

Answer 1

Answer: (B), (C)

Cell theory is the idea that the cell is the fundamental structural and functional unit of all living organisms and that new cells are formed from other existing cells. This theory is one of the foundations of modern biology. First formulated in the early 1800s in landmark publications by Mathias Jacob Schleiden and Theodor Schwann, the foundations of this theory began in mid-1600s through advances in microscopy. Today, it is held that all organisms are composed of one or more cells, all vital functions of an organism occur within cells, and cells contain the hereditary information necessary for regulating cell functions and for transmitting information to the next generation of cells.

So the correct option is 'Mathias Jacob Schleiden and Theodor Schwann'.