Question

The smallest living part of an organism is ____________.

Answer 1

Hint: The difference between living and non-living can be determined by the living unit of organisms and that living part is the basic structural and functional of life.

Complete answer: As we know that cell is considered as the smallest and the structural unit of life of all living organisms. It is also called the building block of life. A living thing can be made up of either one cell or many cells. There are two types of cells:
i. Prokaryotic cells:- Small cells in the domain of Bacteria and Archaea that do not contain a membrane-bound nucleus or other membrane-bound organelles.
ii. Eukaryotic cells:- Complex cells in which the genetic material is contained within the membrane-bound nucleus.
Cells can be highly specialized with some certain functions and characteristics. There are so many cells which are of the same kind that are interconnected with each other and perform a shared function with tissues. A single cell is often a complete organism in itself. Examples are Bacteria or yeast. In multicellular organisms, cells become specialized to perform different functions through the differentiation process. The smallest cell is known as ‘Mycoplasma’.

Additional information: Cell theory:
a. All living organisms are composed of cells.
b. A new cell arises from preexisting cells.
c. A cell is the structural and functional unit of life.

Note: There are four main type of cells:
i. Epithelial cells: These are tightly attached to each other.
ii. Nerve cells: These are specialized for communication.
iii. Muscle cells: These are specialized for contraction.