What is Life?

Question

I wanna know scientific explanation

Answer 1

(m)

Life is the characteristic state of organisms and individual cells. Properties common to the known organisms found on Earth (plants, animals, fungi, protists, archaea and bacteria) are that they are carbon-and-water-based, are cellular with complex organization, undergo metabolism, possess a capacity to grow, respond to stimuli, reproduce and, through natural selection, adapt in succeeding generations.

An entity with the above properties is considered to be organic life. However, not every definition of life considers all of these properties to be essential. For example, the capacity for descent with modification is often taken as the only essential property of life. This definition notably includes viruses, which do not qualify under narrower definitions as they are acellular and do not metabolise. Broader definitions of life may also include theoretical non-carbon-based life and other alternative biology.

Although it cannot be pinpointed exactly, evidence suggests that life on Earth has existed for about 3.7 billion years . Currently the entire Earth contains about 75 billion tons of biomass (life), which lives within various environments within the biosphere

Life itself is a set of processes that are carried out by an organism causing it to survive.


A conventional definition
Although there is no universal agreement on the definition of life, scientists generally accept that the biological manifestation of life exhibits the following phenomena:

Homeostasis: Regulation of the internal environment to maintain a constant state; for example, sweating to cool off.
Organization: Being composed of one or more cells, which are the basic units of life.
Metabolism: Production of energy by converting nonliving material into cellular components (synthesis) and decomposing organic matter (catalysis). Living things require energy to maintain internal organization (homeostasis) and to produce the other phenomena associated with life.
Growth: Maintenance of a higher rate of synthesis than catalysis. A growing organism increases in size in all of its parts, rather than simply accumulating matter. The particular species begins to multiply and expand as the evolution continues to flourish.
Adaptation: The ability to change over a period of time in response to the environment. This ability is fundamental to the process of evolution and is determined by the organism's heredity as well as the composition of metabolized substances, and external factors present.
Response to stimuli: A response can take many forms, from the contraction of a unicellular organism when touched to complex reactions involving all the senses of higher animals. A response is often expressed by motion, for example, the leaves of a plant turning toward the sun or an animal chasing its prey.
Reproduction: The ability to produce new organisms. Reproduction can be the division of one cell to form two new cells. Usually the term is applied to the production of a new individual (either asexually, from a single parent organism, or sexually, from at least two differing parent organisms), although strictly speaking it also describes the production of new cells in the process of growth.

Answer 2

Here are the ones I liked:

1.the condition that distinguishes organisms from inorganic objects and dead organisms, being manifested by growth through metabolism, reproduction, and the power of adaptation to environment through changes originating internally.
2.the sum of the distinguishing phenomena of organisms, esp. metabolism, growth, reproduction, and adaptation to environment.
3.the animate existence or period of animate existence of an individual: to risk one's life; a short life and a merry one.
4.a corresponding state, existence, or principle of existence conceived of as belonging to the soul: eternal life.
5.the general or universal condition of human existence: Too bad, but life is like that.
6.any specified period of animate existence: a man in middle life.
7.the period of existence, activity, or effectiveness of something inanimate, as a machine, lease, or play: The life of the car may be ten years.

Answer 3

Understand the true meaning and purport of the "meaning of life" and what life has in store for you can be configured-


"What is Life" is the most asked question on the Internet. Why?

Every Human Being wants to know and understand the Philosophy behind the meaning of Life! Why are we here... what is the purpose of our living on Mother Earth... what is the real meaning of Life? The queries are numerous... there has got to be a justification for our living. What is the basis of existence of Life on planet Earth?


Before we indulge into knowing "the meaning of Life" we need to understand Life itself. How do we differentiate between a mortal (living being) and an immobile material (having no Life within)? For this we need to start from the beginning of the Cosmos itself... The time of the big bang!

At the time of the big bang when God, the Almighty Creator which is but the size of half a thumb explodes itself... all Atmans (Souls) get scattered all over the cosmos and in doing this they lose their pristine purity and as a ball coated with honey gathers dust while rolling... these Atmans (Souls) also get impregnated with impurities. This is the fundamental cause of Life... if these Atmans (Souls) had remained pure all the time... the need for Life in whole of the cosmos would not have arisen.


These Atmans (Souls) in their cosmic journey now need a body so that they can purify themselves and come back to their original pristine form. These Atmans (Souls) do not have the power to purify themselves without the aid of any external body. They need a body to work out its Karma and in the process the dross within the Atman soul shall get removed.


Let me explain this further but before that I need to explain the definition of God.


At the time of pralaya as we call it in Hinduism (the time of complete dissolution of the cosmos)... the total cosmos which consists of many universes dissolves back into its original pristine form... this is the form we know as God, the Almighty Creator! The size of the whole cosmos at this moment of time is half the size of a thumb, which is nothing else, but the collection of all purified Atmans (Souls) in the cosmos.

For purifying themselves why do the Atmans (Souls) need a body? This feature can be explained further by the example of mining.


If I need to extract one KG of pure gold (say an individual purified Atman in its pristine pure form) from a lump of hundred KG of gold ore then I need to pass the lump of hundred KG of gold ore through the requisite mining process. It is absolutely clear that this one KG of pure gold can not on its own separate itself out from the hundred KG of gold ore without the help of an external medium... it needs requisite machinery to remove the 99 KG of dross within the ore.

Similarly, the unpurified Atman the soul within cannot on its own remove the dross within... it needs an external medium... a body in order to come back to its original pristine form. And in the process... this so-called impure Atman is required to manifest a body, which consists of a long chain of manifestations... a total of 8.4 Million manifestations and a Life cycle of 96.4 Million earthly years... a long journey indeed! More on life here- http://www.godrealized.org/what_is_the_meaning_of_life.html

Answer 4

an organismic state characterized by capacity for metabolism, growth, reaction to stimuli, and reproduction
and/or the sequence of physical and mental experiences that make up the existence of an individual

Answer 5

It's a wonderful thing.

Answer 6

have sex and die! no after life so live to the max..!

Answer 7

a waste of time.