Archive: The Cell

Every organism alive today consists of one or more cells: a single human body contains up to a hundred trillion of them.

In this archive episode, first released in September 2012, Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the origins and structure of the cell, which was first observed in 1665 by the English polymath Robert Hooke (1635-1703). The first life on Earth was a single-celled organism which is thought to have appeared around three and a half billion years ago. That simple cell resembled today's bacteria. But eventually these microscopic entities evolved into something far more complex, and single-celled life gave rise to much larger, complex multicellular organisms. But how did the first cell appear, and how did that prototype evolve into the sophisticated, highly specialised cells of the human body?

With

Steve Jones

Professor of Genetics at University College London

Nick Lane

Senior Lecturer in the Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, University College London

Cathie Martin

Group Leader at the John Innes Centre and Professor in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of East Anglia

Producer: Thomas Morris

In Our Time is a BBC Studios production

A world-class seminar every week. Spanning history, religion, culture, science and philosophy, In Our Time celebrates the pursuit of knowledge and the enduring power of ideas. In each episode, host Misha Glenny and expert guests explore the characters, events and discoveries that have shaped our world.