Macbooks and Windows – same same, but different. They’re both laptops built for the same task, but as any user will tell you, they’re completely different. Likewise, to build organisms, Life use cells, but there are two fundamentally different types - one named eukaryotic (you-kary-otic) and the other prokaryotic (pro-kary-otic).

All animals, plants, fungi, most algae and microscopic organisms such as amoeba (protists)are built from eukaryotic cells, whilst bacteria (along with archaea) are built from prokaryotic cells. Notably, the ‘eu’ (εὖ) in eukaryotic means ‘well’ or ‘good’ in ancient Greek, whilst the ‘pro’ (pró) in prokaryotic simply means ‘before’, suggesting perhaps the naming committee for these two cell types was a little biased.

Aside from the fact we use them, eukaryotic cells might also be considered the ‘good’ ones since they’re bigger, more complex and more efficient. Our cells (i.e., eukaryotic cells) contain multiple specialised compartments, known as organelles, each separated from the rest of the cell’s contents by a protective membrane. Just like organs in the body, each organelle efficiently carries out its own delegated tasks for the cell, such as energy production, DNA storage, or building proteins.

Meanwhile, prokaryotic cells lack any such membrane sealed, structured internal compartmentalisation. Not even DNA is safely stored away, but instead tightly compacted into a doughnut shape ring, keeping it altogether and hoping for the best! However, this doesn’t mean bacterial (prokaryotic) cells are complete chaos, but just that there’s a different way of doing things.  

A good analogy might be comparing large, corporate conglomerates with small start-ups. As with the specialised internal compartments of eukaryotic cells, the multi-layered, distinct departmental organisation of big firms allows them to grow bigger and do more as they delegate and decentralise. However, the more working parts, the slower things generally run, as rigid structures can often hold up decisions in red tape. Conversely, as with prokaryotic cells, the small, fluid nature of start-up firms allows flexible, fast paced environments for rapid growth. Organisation looks different in start-ups; although each employee has their specialised role, everyone works across one large office, readily accessible and exposed to all chains of command. However, start-ups also can be much more vulnerable to risks, less efficient and the nature of their structure generally isn’t scalable to a larger size.

So, one cell type is not necessarily better than the other, there are benefits and negatives to both. But as with MacBook’s and Windows, there’s definitely a preferred choice depending on what you do.