Life
hideLife on Earth:
Life (cf. biota) is a characteristic that distinguishes objects that have self-sustaining biological processes ("alive," "living"), from those which do not —either because such functions have ceased (death), or else because they lack such functions and are classified as "inanimate."
In biology, the science that studies living organisms, "life" is the condition which distinguishes active organisms from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, functional activity and the continual change preceding death. A diverse array of living organisms (life forms) can be found in the biosphere on Earth, and properties common to these organisms—plants, animals, fungi, protists, archaea, and bacteria — are a carbon- and water-based cellular form with complex organization and heritable genetic information. Living organisms undergo metabolism, maintain homeostasis, possess a capacity to grow, respond to stimuli, reproduce and, through natural selection, adapt to their environment in successive generations. More complex living organisms can communicate through various means.
In philosophy and religion, the conception and nature of life varies, and offer interpretations in the frameworks of existence and consciousness, and touch on many other related issues, such as, ontology, value, life stance, purpose, conceptions of God, the soul and the afterlife.
For more information about Life, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with life
Scientists Reproduce a Building Block of Life in Laboratory
Nov 06, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- NASA scientists studying the origin of life have reproduced uracil, a key component of our hereditary material, in the laboratory.
Starring Intelligent Aliens
Nov 05, 2009 |
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The most probable place to find intelligent life in the galaxy is around stars very similar to our sun, a new study has found.
Second Life creates virtual world for businesses
Nov 05, 2009 |
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Linden Lab on Wednesday announced it is adding a new dimension to Second Life online world to give businesses private places for virtual meetings.
Religion and medicine: Sometimes a healing prescription
Other Sciences / Social Sciences
Nov 04, 2009 |
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Do pediatric oncologists feel that religion is a bridge or a barrier to their work? Or do they feel it can be either, depending on whether their patients are recovering or deteriorating? A novel Brandeis University study ...
Elderly depression lessened when relatives keep them informed on family matters
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Nov 04, 2009 |
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The elderly are less likely to feel depressed if their relatives keep them updated about important family matters, a new study indicates.
Discrimination takes its toll on Black women
Nov 04, 2009 |
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Racial discrimination is a major threat to African American women's mental health. It undermines their view of themselves as masters of their own life circumstances and makes them less psychologically resilient and more prone ...
A 'spoonful of sugar' makes the worms' life span go down
Nov 03, 2009 |
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If worms are any indication, all the sugar in your diet could spell much more than obesity and type 2 diabetes. Researchers reporting in the November issue of Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication, say it might also b ...
Industry support of academic life science research may be dropping
Nov 03, 2009 |
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While more than half the academic life science researchers responding to a 2007 survey indicated having some relationship with industrial entities, the prevalence of such relationships - particularly direct funding for research ...
Ericsson developing a 'spider' computer (w/ Video)
Electronics / Consumer & Gadgets
Oct 30, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Ericsson has produced a prototype of a portable computer that projects the screen and keyboard, and a mock-up of a "spider" computer that will be small enough to carry in a pocket.
Review: $99 WikiReader is a pocket encyclopedia
Electronics / Consumer & Gadgets
Oct 28, 2009 |
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(AP) -- When I was a kid, my dad bought a copy of the Encyclopedia Britannica. It had 32 volumes and took up 4 feet in the book case. I loved to sit on the couch and flip through it, reading articles at random.
Like a hungry teen, life on Earth had big growth spurts
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Oct 27, 2009 |
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Twice in the Earth's history, living creatures underwent astonishing growth spurts, and each time, new organisms emerged that were a million times larger than anything that had existed before.
Married with children the key to happiness?
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Oct 27, 2009 |
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Having children improves married peoples' life satisfaction and the more they have, the happier they are. For unmarried individuals, raising children has little or no positive effect on their happiness. These findings by ...
Charles Darwin really did have advanced ideas about the origin of life
Oct 27, 2009 |
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When Charles Darwin published The Origin of Species 150 years ago, he deliberately avoided the subject of the origin of life. This, coupled with the mention of the 'Creator' in the last paragraph of the book, ...
Study reveals high death rates and short life expectancy among the homeless and marginally housed
Oct 26, 2009 |
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Homeless and marginally housed people have much higher mortality and shorter life expectancy than could be expected on the basis of low income alone, concludes a study from Canada published on bmj.com today.
Fitness levels decline with age, especially after 45
Oct 26, 2009 |
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Men and women become gradually less fit with age, with declines accelerating after age 45, according to a report in the October 26 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives journals. However, mainta ...
