An illustration of many different cells, with a few rulers to measure them

Cells are the smallest unit of life. Our bodies are made of hundreds of types of cells, and trillions of different cells. In school, we learn a lot about how cells make energy, defend our bodies, and make our bodies grow. But there's at least one major idea we don't often hear much about: Nuclear-cytoplasmic ratios. NC ratios are how big the nucleus of a cell is compared to the cytoplasm in the cell. Certain types of cells should have specific NC ratios... and if they don't, it could tell you that something is wrong with the cell. Learn more about what NC ratios can tell us in Cell Size SIM.

To learn more about cells, visit our story page about The Building Blocks of Life.

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Take a tour inside a cell with the virtual Cell Viewer. Then, test your knowledge in game mode to race the clock while you locate and identify parts of the cell.

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