What cell is this?
This parody (written by Greg Crowther) is sung to the tune of
"What Child Is This" (words by William Dix; traditional English melody).
What cell is this in the microscope?
What form of life have I noticed?
Perhaps a plant or animal,
Bacterium, fungus, or protist.
But look, look at the chromosome!
Within the cell, there's one alone.
And no, no organelles in sight --
It must be prokaryotic!
What cell is this in which I see
The ribosomes a-floating?
All forms of life depend upon
These tiny makers of protein.
But look, look -- there's a nucleus,
Surrounded by an outer crust!
Yes, yes, there are organelles --
It must be eukaryotic!
An introduction to the key differences between
prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells, written and performed for
students in Biology
212 in the spring of 2003.