what differentiates a livingthing from a non-living thing, if all are made up of atoms?

Answer 1

Dats a real tough one to answer cos there r a lot of organisms being discovered which easily falls outside d accepted definition of living things. usually living things are described as carbon-and-water-based, cellular with complex organization, undergo metabolism, possess a capacity to grow, respond to stimuli, reproduce and through natural selection, adapt in succeeding generations.
But organisms like prions and viruses fall outside this definition as they are acellular

Answer 2

'Non-living things are made up of atoms and living things are made up of cells' one person said. I wonder what they think cells are made of...

A good way to research this question is to look at the difference between viruses which are generally not considered alive and bacteria which always are. The big difference is that viruses can't survive on their own, they're parasites that dont reproduce without a host cell. Basically they subvert the host's own cells to create more virus.

The old criteria, that the living orgnism, must reproduce, be able to adapt, through natural selection, grow, undergo metabolism are a bit out of date. When artifical life can do these things we're going to have to think about what we mean when we say something is alive.

In Victorian times there was some vital force that animated living creatures - the study of Carbon is still called organic chemistry because it was believed that it was only found in living creatures.

At the atomic level - nothing distinguishes alive from inorganic, dead, whatever - its not even how the atoms are arranged in molecules - its how the molecules are arranged in tissues, how they interact, how they function. You might as well ask whats the difference between a man alive and a man who has died. Physically they're almost identical - at the atomic level - absolutely indistinguishable - its a matter of function. When we run down, stop working. Stop metabolising, then we're no more.

Answer 3

There are 7 criteria which must be met at once.
One is: the living thing is able to reproduce itself alone or with another of its kind.
Another: Living things have metabolism.
Third: living things can move all by themselves.
And so on. I don't remeber all, but we had a lesson in biology in the 8th grade on that subject and they showed in the textbook that a candle flame fulfills all but one of the criteria and still isn't living. Viruses aren't living, too, after those criteria, but bacterias are living.

Answer 4

LIVING things are made up of cells and non living things are made of atoms.
the main differece between living and non living things is growth, reproduction, and death.These are seen in living things

Answer 5

There characteritics.
livingthing reproduce,respond,excret,they locomote,breath etc
nonlivingthing do non of this.

Answer 6

REPRODUCTION!