As we go through any class, we learn a lot but do not remember all of it. This website details the specifics of our biology class and summarizes what we've learned.
Animal cells are similar and different from plant cells in multiple ways. Both animal cells and plant cells are eukaryotic cells, meaning that they both contain their genetic information within a separate membrane, called the nucleus. They also both preform cellular respiration inside their mitochondria, in order to use the energy stored in food. There are more differences than similarities between the two types of cells though. Plant cells have a thick cell wall made of cellulose while animal cells have nothing outside their cell membrane. Plant cells are filled with chloroplasts to preform photosynthesis while animal cells are not. Plant cells have a central vacuole that is even bigger than the nucleus, while animal cells have a few, much smaller, vacuoles spread throughout the cell.
There are three main types of food molecules, proteins, carbohydrates, and fats. These can each be found in different foods, and are precessed lightly differently. While you digest your food the food molecules are broken down into their component parts. Then in cellular respiration, those parts are each processed and the energy inside them is used to produce ATP. Nucleotides are also technically food molecules, and any DNA or RNA you eat will be broken down into its constituent parts.
Cell division, or mitosis, is used to make identical copies of cells. There are billions of cell divisions in the average human body every day. In order to make an identical copy, the cell has to replicate its DNA. Then the chromosomes line up and split. There is also another kind of cell division, meiosis, which is used to make gametes. Meiosis produces four cells instead of two, and the copies are not genetically identical to the original. They have half the DNA.
Diffusion is when a something moves from a zone of high concentration of that substance to a zone with a lower concentration. Simple diffusion happens when the two zones are separated by a membrane, and the solute can pass through the membrane because it is semipermeable. Over time the solute moves from the area of high solute concentration to the area with low solute concentration. Facilitated diffusion is when the solute cannot pass through the membrane, so a protein on the membrane essentially opens a doorway to allow the solute to move from the high concentration zone to the low concentration zone. Active transport is the same situation as facilitated diffusion, but the protein has to use energy to move the solute from an area of low concentration to an area of high concentration. Active transport and facilitated diffusion happen in cells, and allow them to function properly. It plays a major role in cellular respiration during the electron transport chain. Osmosis is when there is a semipermeable membrane that the solute cannot pass through, but the solvent can, and there is a difference in solute concentration on either side of the membrane. In this case, the solvent moves from the area of low solute concentration to the area of high solute concentration. It can instead be seen as the solvent moving from the area of high solvent concentration to the area of low solvent concentration.
Genetics are how your traits are defined. Each cell in your body has a copy of the same exact DNA. Genes are passed down from your parents to you, and from you to your kids.