• Question: What is the difference between a prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell and what type of cells are these?

    Asked by msraphaelamay to Alexis, Dr D, Helen, Jasmine, Mario on 17 Jun 2013.
    • Photo: Alexis Barr

      Alexis Barr answered on 17 Jun 2013:

      The main difference is that prokaryotic cells have no nucleus and eukaryotic cells do. Also, prokaryotic cells usually exist as single-celled organisms (like bacteria), whereas eukaryotic cells usually exist in multicellular organisms (like humans). Eukaryotic cells are also larger than prokaryotic cells and contain more “organelles” – these are like little organs inside the cell that perform specific jobs for the cell – for example mitochondria make energy for the cell.
      Prokaryotic cells include bacteria. Eukaryotic cells are in animals and plants.

    • Photo: Andrew Devitt

      Andrew Devitt answered on 17 Jun 2013:

      It is all about the nucleus. Do they or don’t they?

      there’s no doubt that eukaryotic cells are more complex than prokaryotic cells but some eukaryotes are pretty simple. Take yeast for example. it’s a single-celled organism and that makes it pretty good for us to study as it is similar to humans cells. If we want more complex eukaryotes, we can look at some multi-cellular versions that are more simple than humans. Something like the nematode worm…… it was the study of this worm that told us most of what we know about cell death.

    • Photo: Jasmine Penny

      Jasmine Penny answered on 20 Jun 2013:

      Great question! There are a few differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Firstly, prokaryotic cells are much smaller than eukaryotic cells. Also one of the major differences between the two is that in prokaryotic cells everything floats around inside the cell, there are no membrane bound organelles. There is no nucleus so the DNA just floats around in the cell. Animal and plant cells are eukaryotic whereas bacteria are prokaryotic!

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