When looking through a microscope, which portion of the hair would display living cells?

When looking through a microscope, which portion of the hair would display living cells?

• A. Hair Bulb
• B. Hair Fiber
• C. Hair Shaft
• D. Hair Strand

Answer: (A)

Living cells are found in the hair bulb, the base of the hair follicle where the hair matrix actively divides to form new hair. This zone is nourished by the dermal papilla and contains metabolically active cells with nuclei, so you can observe living cells there under a microscope. The rest of the hair—the shaft, fiber, and strand—is made of keratinized cells that have hardened and lost their nuclei, making them dead tissue. So, when you look under a microscope, the only part displaying living cells is the hair bulb because it’s the growth and metabolic center of the hair.

Living cells are found in the hair bulb, the base of the hair follicle where the hair matrix actively divides to form new hair. This zone is nourished by the dermal papilla and contains metabolically active cells with nuclei, so you can observe living cells there under a microscope. The rest of the hair—the shaft, fiber, and strand—is made of keratinized cells that have hardened and lost their nuclei, making them dead tissue. So, when you look under a microscope, the only part displaying living cells is the hair bulb because it’s the growth and metabolic center of the hair.