The Golgi Apparatus (a.k.a the Golgi Body and Golgi Complex) is an 'oganelle' (small component) found in almost all cells that have a nucleus (i.e. eukaryotic cells).

It packages 'vesicles' (i.e. small packages of protein wrapped in a fatty membrane) and dispatches them to the correct destination within the cell (i.e. outside the nucleus). It is a fundamentally essential part of the 'machinery' of the cell, and therefore of all complex organisms.

It was first discovered in 1897, though its functions were only identified, in stages, during the course of the 20th century.

Despite more than a century of research, the molecular mechanisms which it uses to sort, package and transport the proteins is still unknown. There are currently 5 major models which attempt an explanation.

Though there are multiple models that attempt to explain vesicular traffic throughout the Golgi, no individual model can independently explain all observations of the Golgi apparatus.

See Wikipedia

Also sse : Cellular organellesplugin-autotooltip__plain plugin-autotooltip_bigCellular organelles

Eukaryotic cells are cells which have a nucleus. Within that nucleus are various discrete structures with very specific functions that are, as a group, called 'organelles'.

In the 1970s a book by professor Lynn Margulis (titled Origin of Eukaryotic Cells)