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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
New Study of Meteorite Provides More Evidence for Ancient Life on Mars
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
Dec 17, 2009 |
4.9 / 5 (28) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- In 1996, when scientists examined a meteorite from Mars previously uncovered in Antarctica, they were intrigued by what looked like microscopic fossils of ancient Martian life forms. Now, ...
Research finds happiest US States match a million Americans' own happiness states
Other Sciences / Social Sciences
22 hours ago |
2 / 5 (4) |
2
New research by the UK's University of Warwick and Hamilton College in the US into the happiness levels of a million individual US citizens have revealed their personal happiness levels closely correlate ...
How to Find Signs of Life on Mars
Space & Earth / Space Exploration
27 minutes ago |
not rated yet |
0
By studying the signatures of fossil life on Earth, geobiologists can get a clue of what to look for when hunting for extraterrestrial life on Mars.
Search results for life
Acid oceans: the 'evil twin' of climate change
5 hours ago |
4.4 / 5 (7) |
3
(AP) -- Far from Copenhagen's turbulent climate talks, the sea lions, harbor seals and sea otters reposing along the shoreline and kelp forests of this protected marine area stand to gain from any global ...
Study finds orphanages are viable options for some children
Other Sciences / Social Sciences
7 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
A Duke University study of more than 3,000 orphaned and abandoned children in five Asian and African countries has found that children in institutional orphanages fare as well or better than those who live in the community.
Want to live well? Harvard experts offer pragmatic pointers on getting healthy and staying there
16 hours ago |
4.2 / 5 (5) |
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You are what you eat. You're also how you feel, how you exercise, how you sleep, how you handle money, how you relate to people, and what you value.
Web wizardry: CS 50 Fair spotlights students’ programming for the Web
17 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
The observation became a question and finally an application.
Researchers link calorie intake to cell lifespan, cancer development (w/ Video)
18 hours ago |
4.4 / 5 (9) |
8
Researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) have discovered that restricting consumption of glucose, the most common dietary sugar, can extend the life of healthy human-lung cells and speed ...
How water forms where Earth-like planets are born
19 hours ago |
4.9 / 5 (9) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- In a study that helps to explain the origins of water on Earth, University of Michigan astronomers have found that water vapor can form spontaneously in habitable zones of solar systems, and that it develops ...
New pictures reveal rich Antarctic marine life in area of rapid climate change
20 hours ago |
4.5 / 5 (8) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- New photographs of ice fish, octopus, sea pigs, giant sea spiders, rare rays and beautiful basket stars that live in Antarctica’s continental shelf seas are revealed this week by the British ...
Heme channel found
20 hours ago |
not rated yet |
0
In some ways a cell in your body or an organelle in that cell is like an ancient walled town. Life inside either depends critically on the intelligence of the gatekeepers.
Want privacy on Facebook? Here is how to get some
20 hours ago |
4.3 / 5 (3) |
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(AP) -- Over the past week, Facebook has been nudging its users - first gently, then firmly - to review and update their privacy settings.
Racing, shooting and zapping your way to better visual skills
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
20 hours ago |
4.5 / 5 (2) |
0
Do your kids want a Wii, a PlayStation or an Xbox 360 this year? This holiday gift season is packed with popular gaming systems and adrenaline-pumping, sharpshooting games. What's a parent to do? Is there any redeeming value ...
List of search results for life
