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
Qualcomm's next e-book to use a mirasol display
Electronics / Consumer & Gadgets
Nov 20, 2009 |
4.7 / 5 (9) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Qualcomm subsidiary Mirasol is developing a new e-book reader with a color display that uses ambient light. The reader will be capable of displaying video smoothly, but the new features will ...
New effort probes how two groups of viruses cause disease
Nov 18, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Purdue University is leading a team of researchers in a federally funded effort aimed ultimately at developing better vaccines and antiviral drugs against two types of disease-causing viruses ...
Researchers customizing electric cars for cost-effective urban commuting
Nov 16, 2009 |
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Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University's Robotics Institute have converted a 2001 Scion xB into an electric commuter vehicle that will serve as a test bed for a new community-based approach to electric vehicle design, ...
Few Americans make end-of-life wishes known
Nov 12, 2009 |
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(AP) -- Lillian Landry always said she wasn't afraid to die. So when death came last week, the 99-year-old was lying peacefully in a hospice with no needles or tubes. Her final days saw her closest friend ...
Google routes World Bank data to fact seekers
Nov 11, 2009 |
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Google is adding World Bank figures to Internet results in a bid to make hard facts about countries worldwide easier to find.
Early life on Earth may have developed more quickly than thought (w/ Video)
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Nov 11, 2009 |
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The Earth's climate was far cooler -- perhaps more than 50 degrees -- billions of years ago, which could mean conditions for life all over the planet were more conducive than previously believed, according ...
Cornell releases predator beetle to battle hemlock pest
Nov 11, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Cornell researchers released a well-studied beetle predator to test its ability to ward off a hemlock-killing aphid-like insect.
Vatican searches for extra-terrestrial life
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Nov 10, 2009 |
4.8 / 5 (4) |
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Is there life on other planets? The Vatican has asked that age-old question over the past five days during a "study week" on astrobiology gathering leading scientists from around the world.
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 |
4 / 5 (2) |
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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 ...
