at what level of hierarchial organization does the living condition begin?

Answer 1

The hierarchy of body structure:

*Atoms
*Molecules
*Macromolecules
*Organelle
*Cell << this is where life begins, the cell is the smallest self-replicating unit of life
*Tissue
*Organ
*Organ system
*Organism

Answer 2

The fact that we are living and breathing and able to do all these things. The fact that we are not rocks and some divine coincidence made use who we are instead of some inorganic atom. The fact we can give things worth. We can categorise. Its all beautiful, the sight, the sound, the feel, the emotion, the taste. Even pain. We can feel that not many other things can. Pain may be painful, but we can feel it just as we can feel happy. Its amazing really that out of all of this we can do these things. Although it seems to suck sometimes its still wonderful. random fact: if you shoot a rabbit, it doesnt know why it feels pain, it doesn't register that there is an explanation, it just knows it feels pain and as a reaction will run away, even if its dying. Shoot a human (even if they did not know what a gun was) it would realise its something launched, have some sort or knowledge of what to do and so on. I dont think this was relevant but its written now... But if youre looking for one reason it would definitely be pie.

Answer 3

So, you are asking "What is the lowest form of life?".

Depends what you consider life. Some scientists consider viruses a valid form of life, some don't. There are forms that are even simpler than viruses, called prions, which cause diseases such as Mad Cow Disease, which are debatable life forms.
If you can answer "What constitutes life" then all these other answers will come easily.
I believe they are forms of life, because they are replicating, in whatever manner is working for them. They are under the influence of natural selection. That is, they are subject to conditions which favour some forms over others, and induce adaptation to these conditions.

Answer 4

depends on definiton of life: viruses do not breathe or metabolise or reproduce on their own, yet they take over living cells and force them to make millions of new viruses. Prions are a protein only: they act in simialr ways to viruses. Probably a self-replicant would be my definiton: one which metabolises (this excludes crystals) - so the prokaryote cell would be the lowest on the rung for me personally: using energy and reprodusing itself.