Introduction
Generally, biology involves the study of living things which ranges from a wide variety of different studies like for instance it covers the natural and scientific understanding of genes and management of ecosystems. In other words, when it comes to Biology and Life sciences, one should be expected to study or encounter with a topic such as biochemistry of molecules which includes RNA, DNA, as well as proteins. One should also be ready to familiarize themselves with the physiological functions of tissues, organ systems, cells as well as other different organs in the body.
1. What is life?
Going as per Biological view, life can be defined as the distinctive feature of an organism that is alive which is completely different from a dead one. In other words, organisms that are alive are differentiated from the non-living ones by common and specific features such as the ability to grow, reproduce, locomotive, and even they are known to metabolize and eventually adapt to their environment (Bayraktar, & Kuvvet, 2017).
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Blood Cell
A blood cell is also considered as a hematopoietic cell which is simply any kind of cell that is found in the blood system. There are three major types of blood cells that exist within the circulation of blood and they include red blood cells, white blood cells and eventually the platelets. Blood cells fall under the category of living things since they reproduce and are considered to go through metabolism. They also move hence their role of carrying oxygen and other materials.
Amoeba
Amoeba is a common term that most people are used to mostly in their daily lives. One definition of amoeba is that s a single-celled organism that is shapeless and known for moving around through the means of pseudopodia. Through pseudopodia, the single-celled animal can experience locomotion hence considered as a living thing. They also reproduce and go through metabolism as well just like any other living thing (Bayraktar, & Kuvvet, 2017).
Coral Reef
As weird as it might sound, coral reefs are living things that live deep in the ocean. Generally, they are underwater organisms that are characterized by reef-building corals. However, as much as they are considered to be living things, they do not make their food like the plants instead they are indeed animals. They are simply made of thousands of small living animals known as polyps.
Mushroom
Toadstool is another term that is used to refer to a mushroom which is a fleshy fruiting body that has spores and they are generally grown above the earth on soil or other sources that acts as their soil. Indeed, mushrooms are categorized under the living things since they do almost all what a living thing does. They reproduce through spores and they also excrete to get rid of waste materials.
Whale Sperm
The sperm whale is one of the largest toothed whales and considered as a dangerous predator of all times. It is the only member that is alive in the family of genus Physeter and other sperm whale family. Obviously, it is a living thing since it moves and eats. It is also known to undergo other processes such as metabolize and grow which are all characteristics of living things.
Egg from the grocery store
In most instances, eggs that are bought in groceries are not considered as living things to any biologist out there. The main reason is that they are not fertilized since only eggs with fertilized ova are considered alive. Additionally, most eggs from groceries are obvious past 14 days and hence non-living things.
2. Unobservable characteristics of living things
The number one characteristic that was not easily visible is nutrition which dictates that they take materials from the natural surroundings and make food for growth and source of energy. It is not practically visible to see them taking the materials but it has been proven that they actually do in order to grow. Another characteristic that they possess which is also not easily observable is excretion which all living things undergo. It is not easy to see them getting rid of their waste materials (Bayraktar, & Kuvvet, 2017).
3. A Few Processes That Occur While an Organism Is Alive, but Cease When It Is Dead
The number one which is also the most obvious is locomotion. This is because when they are dead they cannot move. Another one is the process of nutrition and excretion which means that they cannot eat or even get rid of the waste products. The other one is a reproduction, which only applies to the living things and after they die, the cells also die which means that they cannot reproduce anymore.
4. Did any nonliving things possess some of the same characteristics as living things? Which ones?
Some nonliving things are known to contain some characteristics that are mostly known to belong to the living things along. However, the things that were being discussed did not seem to share many characteristics. For future purposes, there are indeed some living things that tend to possess the features of living things such as moving in the leaves and growing by mountains and many more.
5. How do plants differ from animals in their life activities?
As much as plants are considered more similar to animals that they differ, they have some differences that cannot be assumed. Like for instance, animals tend to move around but plants on the other hand just stay rooted in one area. Animals are known for eating their food but plants are known for converting sunlight into the energy they require. Another obvious difference is that animals give out carbon dioxide and plants take out the oxygen (Bayraktar, & Kuvvet, 2017).
6. Define the word dormant. What factors influence whether something is considered dormant?
Dormancy is a biological term that is commonly used to refer to the stage on which growth and development of living things and in particular animals are temporarily stopped or considered inactive. During this stage, the animal can control the metabolism process hence saving a lot of energy. The factors that are linked to dormancy include environmental factors for instance during winter when the animals are stressed.
7. Research one of the following controversial discoveries: Nanobacteria (Young & Martel, 2009). Review the claims made by the researchers who announced the discovery. Do the organisms fit the definition of life? How so?
After conducting the experiment, the researchers concluded that the Nanobacteria are lifeless which was initially formed by calcium or apatite crystallization inhibitors. These crystals are considered to be overwhelmed by calcium that is excess and found in body fluids hence becoming seeds for calcification. They used this concept to explain that the origin of NB is lifeless protein minerals that have questionable roles (Young, et al, 2009).
Conclusion
It is now clear that indeed loving and non-living things have some distinctive characteristics that make them different from one another. However, some of the characteristics are seen to be shared by both of them for instance moving and growing although not directly on the nonliving side. Finally, it is also clear that there are some features that are possessed by living things only when they are alive and losses them when they die.
References
Bayraktar, Ş., & Kuvvet, Z. (2017, June). Preschool Children's Ideas about Living Things. In 2nd International Baltic Symposium on Science and Technology Education . BalticSTE2017, Siauliai, Lithuania.
Young, J. D., Martel, J., Young, L., Wu, C. Y., Young, A., & Young, D. (2009). Putative nanobacteria represent physiological remnants and culture by-products of normal calcium homeostasis. PloS one, 4 (2), e4417.
