Who first recognized the cell as the universal unit of life Virchow van Leeuwenhoek Hooke Schleiden and Schwann?

The first to recognize the cell as the universal unit of life were Matthias Schleiden and Theodor Schwann, who formulated the cell theory in the mid-19th century. They proposed that all living organisms are made up of cells and that the cell is the basic unit of life. Robert Hooke, earlier in 1665, had observed and named cells but did not establish their role as the fundamental unit of life. Anton van Leeuwenhoek contributed to microscopy but did not specifically define the cell as the unit of life.