What are the characteristics of living organisms?

Living organisms exhibit organization, homeostasis, metabolism, reproduction, and growth.

How do living organisms respond to stimuli?

Living organisms respond to internal and external cues as a key characteristic of life.

Viruses lack certain key traits of living organisms, such as metabolism and reproduction.

Living organisms evolve through mechanisms like natural selection to adapt to changing environments.

Entities like viruses challenge the traditional definition of life, sparking curiosity about the boundaries of living organisms.

Toys that grow in water can create the illusion of being alive, stimulating thoughts about living organisms and biological growth.
The definition of life in biology includes characteristics like organization, homeostasis, metabolism, reproduction, growth, development, response to stimuli, and evolution, although the exact number and nature of these traits remain subjects of debate and exploration.

What are the characteristics of living organisms?
Living organisms exhibit organization, homeostasis, metabolism, reproduction, and growth.
How do living organisms respond to stimuli?
Living organisms respond to internal and external cues as a key characteristic of life.
Why are viruses not universally considered living organisms?
Viruses lack certain key traits of living organisms, such as metabolism and reproduction.
How do living organisms evolve over time?
Living organisms evolve through mechanisms like natural selection to adapt to changing environments.
What prompts further exploration into the definition of life?
Entities like viruses challenge the traditional definition of life, sparking curiosity about the boundaries of living organisms.

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Toys that grow in water can give the impression of being alive due to their increase in size, sparking thoughts about living organisms and biological growth.
Characteristics of living things are essential to understand when exploring biology, although the exact number of these characteristics is debated and subject to change.
Living organisms exhibit organization through cellular structures, homeostasis for maintaining balance, metabolism for energy processes, reproduction for creating new life, and growth and development based on genetic instructions.
Response to stimuli, such as internal and external cues, is a key characteristic of life, along with the ability to evolve over time through mechanisms like natural selection.
While some entities like viruses may exhibit some characteristics of life, they are not universally considered living due to lacking certain key traits, prompting further exploration into the definition of life and the potential for extraterrestrial life.