What is life?

In terms of biology, life is defined (by wikipedia) as:

_” a characteristic of organisms that exhibit the following phenomena:

1. Homeostasis: Regulation of the internal environment to maintain a constant state; for example, sweating to reduce temperature.
2. Organization: Being composed of one or more cells, which are the basic units of life.
3. Metabolism: Consumption of energy by converting nonliving material into cellular components (anabolism) and decomposing organic matter (catabolism). Living things require energy to maintain internal organization (homeostasis) and to produce the other phenomena associated with life.
4. Growth: Maintenance of a higher rate of synthesis than catalysis. A growing organism increases in size in all of its parts, rather than simply accumulating matter. The particular species begins to multiply and expand as the evolution continues to flourish.
5. Adaptation: The ability to change over a period of time in response to the environment. This ability is fundamental to the process of evolution and is determined by the organism’s heredity as well as the composition of metabolized substances, and external factors present.
6. Response to stimuli: A response can take many forms, from the contraction of a unicellular organism when touched to complex reactions involving all the senses of higher animals. A response is often expressed by motion, for example, the leaves of a plant turning toward the sun or an animal chasing its prey.
7. Reproduction: The ability to produce new organisms. Reproduction can be the division of one cell to form two new cells. Usually the term is applied to the production of a new individual (either asexually, from a single parent organism, or sexually, from at least two differing parent organisms), although strictly speaking it also describes the production of new cells in the process of growth.“_

in the question are you asking for the philosophical meaning of life or what we as individuals define life as ?

atom explosion

The thing you do between being born and dying. Often people spend much of the intervening time wearing digital watches.

make all ur dream come true !

Life is a play (drama) directed by the God.

life is a learning place by god ,to reach the next realm.lol

Life is a sexually transmitted disease, and we’re all dying of it.

No time to answer this question…making other plans.

I think life is the change of DNA over time. The fact that it continues to produce new diversity amazes me.

The beginning of it is tiring, the ending of it is tiring, and all the bits in between are up to you ;]

I don’t really beleive all the God stuff, sorry if i offend anyone, but it just seems unlikely to me. I think Life is defined by those who live it =]

In order for something to be alve it must reproduce, grow, excrete waste and take in energy on its own. Without doing all four of those characteristics by itself, it is not living

Life is an illusion of the ego to confound the spirit!

MrKnowitAll that was a wonderful answer lol.

now for the question, life is a term to describe the changes and challenges we go through for an undefined amount of time ultimately leading to a term we call death.

@MrKnowitAll, i think the quote is ‘life is a sexually transmitted degenerative disease’

The answer to life, the universe and everything is….

….42.

If the answer is 42 what is the question?

Any else ever read Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy?
(amazing book – i have on audiotape)

I can’t remember if they ever find out the question….

I believe it was Swift who said, “Life is just one damn thing after another.”

Life is as Mirza quoted. What humans over perceive life to be is the real question.

It’s simply a trip from point A to point B, and from there, a trip into the unknown.

Life is something that you make worthwhile, it’s too short, so might as well have fun. Even if life seems pointless, what you do inbetween to make yourself happy is the goal.

life is starting point of a person to there death from a little baby to a old person
i cant explain it any more because no one knows what life is
because people just come on coming back and back and back….............
until there no one left so i really dont know what life is no one knows

Its an opportunity to leave the world a better place than it was on the day of our birth. It is an opportunity to live forever in the memories of others.

Baby don’t hurt me, don’t hurt me, no more…

Lots of people parrot the saying ’ life & death’.

There is birth & death….life has NO opposite! :-)

Right NOW, life has presented me with one perfect and delectable Cadbury egg before bed! It’s a good life! lol

Life in humans to me is defined as an active and healthy brain. Controversy alert example: Terry Schiavo was technically dead for way too long.

life is love love is life