Organism
hideIn biology, an organism is any living system (such as animal, plant, fungus, or micro-organism). In at least some form, all organisms are capable of response to stimuli, reproduction, growth and development, and maintenance of homeostasis as a stable whole. An organism may either be unicellular (single-celled) or be composed of, as in humans, many billions of cells grouped into specialized tissues and organs. The term multicellular (many-celled) describes any organism made up of more than one cell.
The terms "organism" (Greek ὀργανισμός - organismos, from Ancient Greek ὄργανον - organon "organ, instrument, tool") first appeared in the English language in 1701 and took on its current definition by 1834 (Oxford English Dictionary).
Scientific classification in biology considers organisms synonymous with life on Earth. Based on cell type, organisms may be divided into the prokaryotic and eukaryotic groups. The prokaryotes represent two separate domains, the Bacteria and Archaea. Eukaryotic organisms, with a membrane-bounded cell nucleus, also contain organelles, namely mitochondria and (in plants) plastids, generally considered to be derived from endosymbiotic bacteria. Fungi, animals and plants are examples of species that are eukaryotes.
More recently a clade, Neomura, has been proposed, which groups together the Archaea and Eukarya. Neomura is thought to have evolved from Bacteria, more specifically from Actinobacteria.
For more information about Organism, read the full article at
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News tagged with organisms
Fossils on the Edge of Forever
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Dec 14, 2009 |
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Astrobiologists have not yet found alien life on other planets. But the fossil record has evidence of aliens of another sort: the Ediacarans that lived on Earth millions of years ago.
Scientists isolate new antifreeze molecule in Alaska beetle
Dec 14, 2009 |
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Scientists have identified a novel antifreeze molecule in a freeze-tolerant Alaska beetle able to survive temperatures below minus 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Unlike all previously described biological antifreezes that contain ...
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Warming climate chills Sonoran Desert's spring flowers
12 hours ago |
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Global warming is giving a boost to Sonoran Desert plants that have an edge during cold weather, according to new research.
Argonne scientists use bacteria to power simple machines
15 hours ago |
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Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Argonne National Laboratory and Northwestern University, Evanston, have discovered that common bacteria can turn microgears when suspended in a solution, providing insights for ...
Watching Proteins Direct Crystal Growth One Step at a Time (w/ Video)
20 hours ago |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists at Berkeley Lab's Molecular Foundry imaged the growth of protein-studded mineral surfaces with unprecedented resolution and provided a glimpse into how living systems engineer key ...
Sick of swine flu? Toxic algae could be the next big threat
Dec 15, 2009 |
3 / 5 (2) |
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With a new theory surfacing that toxic algae rather than asteroids killed the dinosaurs, scientists are still trying to unravel the mystery of what caused a massive algae bloom off the Northwest Coast that left thousands ...
Icy moons of Saturn and Jupiter may have conditions needed for life
Dec 15, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists once thought that life could originate only within a solar system's "habitable zone," where a planet would be neither too hot nor too cold for liquid water to exist on its surface. ...
From greenhouse to icehouse -- reconstructing the environment of the Voring Plateau
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Dec 15, 2009 |
4.1 / 5 (7) |
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The analysis of microfossils found in ocean sediment cores is illuminating the environmental conditions that prevailed at high latitudes during a critical period of Earth history.
Species distribution models are of only limited value for predicting future mammal distributions
Dec 15, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
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Species distribution models are of only limited use in predicting the future distribution of mammals. This is the finding of a study of the climate niches of 140 indigenous European mammals.
Story of 4.5 million-year-old whale unveiled in Huelva
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Dec 15, 2009 |
4.3 / 5 (3) |
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In 2006, a team of Spanish and American researchers found the fossil remains of a whale, 4.5 million years old, in Bonares, Huelva. Now they have published, for the first time, the results of the decay and ...
Nearly 100 new species described by California Academy of Sciences in 2009
Dec 14, 2009 |
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In 2009, researchers at the California Academy of Sciences added 94 new relatives to our family tree. The new species include 65 arthropods, 14 plants, eight fishes, five sea slugs, one coral, and one fossil ...
'Rock-breathing' bacteria could generate electricity and clean up oil spills
Dec 14, 2009 |
3.3 / 5 (7) |
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A discovery by scientists at the University of East Anglia (UEA) could contribute to the development of systems that use domestic or agricultural waste to generate clean electricity.
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