CHARACTERISTICS OF LIFE

In biology we study life and we use science to do so.But What is Life? What do we mean by life? What makes something alive? What makes something not alive? Can we distinguish the difference? What is the difference between something that is alive and something that is not alive?

Objective: determine the difference between life and non-life. ow do you know if something is alive? Is there one single characteristic that distinguishes life from non-life? What are the characteristics that make something alive? Let!s begin our investigation here.

Introduction: '. "o study #hysiology$ the function of cells$ tissues$ organs and organisms$ they have to be alive. We can%t study the #hysiology of something if it%s dead$ right? &o tell me what makes something alive? Ask a student to define "LIFE "

(ather than defining life$ biologists describe it$ usually as a list of activities and #ro#erties that characteri)e all living things.

!haracteristics of Life: Life is a collection of characteristics and no one single characteristic can se#arate life from non-life. Life e*ists on a continuum of non-living to living. &o rather than defining life$ biologists describe it$ usually as a list of activities and #ro#erties that characteri)e all living things. Life is defined not by definition$ but as a series of attributes seen in living things...

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All living things follow the tenets of cell theor# +ll living things are made of ' or more cells ,and the #roducts of cells-. +ll cells come from #ree*isting cells Cell is the smallest unit of life that contains all its characteristics .ven the smallest$ sim#lest cells are very com#le*.

$ Living things ac%uire and use energ# & 'roduce wastes ( )res'iration* digestion* & e+cretion, "ransform matter and energy to live. /rganisms maintain a high degree of organi)ation with the in#ut of energy .ventually$ what form of energy does all our food end u# as? - Living things re'roduce* grow* and develo' /rganisms #roduce offs#ring similar to themselves that are ca#able of increasing in si)e and changing over time. "hey transmit their characteristics to offs#ring by heredity0genetically 1 23+

. Living things evolve Inherited changes take #lace over many generations4 #ermitting organisms to change as the environment changes 3atural &election and .volution acclimati)ation vs. ada#tation.

/ Living things res'ond to stimuli ,react to light$ #ressure$ tem#$ humidity$ salinity$ # $ etc. Living systems detect and res#ond to the internal and e*ternal environment

0 Living things maintain a state of homeostasis )maintain boundaries, 5 stabili)ing conditions inside the organism resist fluctuations in the environment .*am#le5 " regulation

1 All living things are made of the same kinds of atoms & molecules .

6nderlies the relatedness of all forms of life. "he same kinds of molecules ,#roteins$ carbohydrates$ li#ids$ 7 nucleic acids 1 23+ 7 (3+- are found in all forms of life from the smallest bacterium to the largest #lant 1 se8uoia tree$ from the flea to the human +ll com#osed of organic com#ounds 1 contain C ,7 - as the basis for these molecules.

2hat can3t we live without? "he ultimate goal of all body systems is to maintain life in order to re#roduce. 9e#$ biology is nothing more than se*....getting those all im#ortant genes to the ne*t generation. owever$ life is e*traordinarily fragile 7 has several #rimary needs. "he following must be #resent in the correct amounts. .*cesses or deficits may be e8ually harmful. "he following list illustrates what humans need to survive.

" Osmoregulation and 2ater 4alance ,:;-<;= of body weight- > the universal solvent - O+#gen "he chemical reactions$ that release energy from food$ re8uire o*ygen as #art of the reaction. Without it$ we could not release the energy contained in foodwe couldn!t make the energy currency molecule of cells+"?. If chemical reactions are to #roceed at life-sustaining rates$ Body "em# must be maintained at -1 ! ,@<C-. If too low$ metabolic reactions sto#. If too high$ chemical reactions #roceed so ra#idly that #roteins lose their sha#e and sto# functioning. +t either e*treme$ death occurs. serves as a medium for chemical reactions serves as a fluid base for body secretions 7 e*cretions

$ 5utrient Ac%uistion6A%uirement and 2aste Elimination #rovide fuel for cellular f*n ,movement$ making things$ and tearing things down$ trans#ort$ cell division 7 cell building ,maintenance 7 growth-

. 7aintenance of 4od# 8em'erature68hermoregulation

/ Atmos'heric 9ressure Breathing$ namely e*changing o*ygen 7 carbon dio*ide in the lungs$ de#ends on a##ro#riate atmospheric pressure 1 the force e*erted on the body by the weight of air. +ltitude

!ell 8heor#5 &mallest unit that has all the characteristics of life$ all cells come from #re-e*isting cells$ all organisms are com#osed of one or more cells...

:uman 9h#siolog# also re%uires an e+tensive knowledge of other sciences* es'eciall# anatom#*
chemistr#* and 'h#sics. +natomy is the study of structure of organisms from the cellular level on u# to the entire organism 9h#siolog#: concerns the functioning of the body%s structural machinery$ that is$ how the #arts of the body work and carry out their life-sustaining activities. When all is said and done$ #hysiology is e*#lainable only in terms of the underlying anatomy. Chemistry is the study of chemical reactions. We!ll go into more detail later. ?hysic is the study of the #hysical laws that govern our universe$ which humans are subAect.

4IOLO;I!AL O<;A5I=A8IO5: "he human body is formed from smaller structures and these smaller structures combine to make larger structures which allow the body to o#erate '. .verything in the universe including living organisms is com#osed of matter. Batter is anything that occu#ies s#ace$ has mass$ and can assume the form of either a solid$ li8uid$ or a gas. C. We currently organi)e the matter of the universe into elements. +n element is a substance that cannot be broken down into sim#ler substances by chemical reactions.

.ach block in the #eriodic table re#resents an element which is a collection of atoms of the same kind "here are @C elements that occur naturally$ although scientists have invented do)ens more. .*am#le5 o*ygen$ silicon$ aluminum$ iron$ nitrogen (eferred to by their chemical symbols /$ +l$ De$ 3$ etc.

E. Elements are com#osed of atoms of the same t#'e. +n atom is the smallest indivisible unit of matter com#osed of electrons$ #rotons$ neutrons.

Lose or Fain electrons to obtain stability.

G. If two or more elements combine$ it results in molecule of that substance5

C$

/C$ etc.

H. When C or more different elements bind together$ they form molecules of a com'ound.

C/$

G$

3aCl.
'C/:-

Organic com#ounds contain carbon ,C:

"e*ts define organic com#ounds as having C$ except for C/$ C/C$ 7 C/E. ,2iamond 7 gra#hite are classified as organic substances>they!re Aust carbon-. I would think it!s better to define organic com#ounds as having C 7 ,Ilike #ure cane sugarJ-$ so there are no e*ce#tions.

Inorganic if it doesn%t have C ,3aClBody contains both organic 7 inorganic substances that are necessary for survival.

7olecules and !om'ounds combine to form cells: '. "he human body is a multicellular ,multi, many4 cellular$ consisting of cells- system that consists of trillions of living cells. !ells are the smallest living units that maintain most or all the characteristics of life. ,We will e*amine these later-. "here are hundreds of different ty#es of cells in the human body. Bany are highly s#eciali)ed in structure and function5 ,neuron vs. s#erm cell-. C. + grou#0association of s#eciali)ed cells that carry out a s#ecific function are called tissues: "here are G basic tissue ty#es5 connective tissue5 blood ,li8uid tissue-$ bone$ C" #ro#er ,hold organs together and forms tendons and ligaments-$ and cartilage nervous tissue: contains cells s#eciali)ed to conduct and carry im#ulses ,info- throughout the body 1 neurons muscle tissue: smooth$ cardiac$ and skeletal.

e'ithelial tissue5 covers and #rotects body surfaces$ and cavities5 ,s8uamous$ cuboidal$ columnar- Buccal$ +nal$ Integumentary$ etc. E. Frou#s of C or more tissues working together to accom#lish a s#ecific function are called organs ,6sually larger structures :eart is a combination of the above tissues that #erforms a s#ecific function5 the #um#ing of the blood >tomach serves as a tem#orary food holding tank$ which also begins digestion. It$ too$ is a combination of the above tissues. G. &everal organs with closely coordinated functions form an organ s#stem E+am'le: the nervous system contains the brain$ s#inal cord$ 7 neurons.

E+am'le: the digestive system contains the mouth$ #haryn*$ eso#hagus$ stomach$ small intestine$ and large intestine. "he liver and #ancreas are considered accessory organs. H. Dinally$ grou#s of organ systems may combine to form an individual organism which re#resents the sum total of all structural levels working in unison to #romote life

8a+onomic :ierarch# of :umans5 We are animals ,s#ecifically #rimates- and biologists classify us ,along with all the other known organisms of our #lanet- in neat distinct categories$ each of which shares common characteristics. Dor e*am#le$ humans are classified as #rimates ,and they with us-$ because we share many characteristics in common with our #rimate brothers ,as we do with all of our mammal cousins-. What follows is how biologists classify humans.

Kingdom +nimalia ?hylum Chordata &ub#hylum Lertebrata Class Bammalia /rder ?rimates &uborder +nthro#oidea Infraorder Catarrhini &u#erfamily ominidae ,"he family of man$ includes about <-'; s#ecies of humans4 all but us are e*tinct&ubfamily omininae Fenus Homo &#ecies Homo sapiens (Homo - man; sapiens - wise) 2oes irony define the human condition?

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/ne key to understanding human biology and #hysiology is the ability to recognize patterns. "he amount of information can seem overwhelming at times$ but once you reali)e that many s#ecific #rocesses are variations on a few themes$ learning #hysiology will be easier. 8hemes in human biolog# include homeostasis$ integration of body systems$ cell-to-cell communication$ information transfer across the cell membrane$ energy use$ and the law of mass balance.

Integration5 all of the body systems are coordinated to work with each other. It!s a cause and effect relationshi#. When something ha##ens in one organ system it causes something else to ha##en in another organ system. Integration re8uires that the cells of the body communicate with one another ra#idly and efficiently. Integration and coordination of res#onses take #lace in the brain and s#inal cord and in endocrine and immune cells.

!ellAtoA!ell !ommunication: + variety of sensing mechanisms monitor changes in the internal and e*ternal environments. "hese sensors which range from single cells to highly develo#ed sense organs relay information to and from each other about environmental changes using two mechanisms. chemical signals ,endocrine systemelectrical signals ,nervous systemInformation is sent between distant cells through the circulatory or lym#hatic or nervous system.

Information transfer across the cell membrane5 communication between the internal environment of the cells and the .CD re8uires information transfer across the cell membrane. &ome molecules can #ass through the membrane others remain outside and sim#ly #ass information through the membrane.

Energ# ?se: Living #rocesses re8uire continuous in#ut of energy. Where does it come from? ow is it used? In the body energy is used for s#nthesis and breakdown of molecules for cellular division* growth* & maintenance* to trans'ort molecules* and to create movement.

Law of 7ass 4alance: "his law says that if the amount of a substance in the body remains constant$ then gain must be offset by an e8ual loss. Dor e*am#le$ in order to maintain constant body tem#erature$ heat gain from the e*ternal environment and from metabolism must be offset by heat loss to the e*ternal environment. Bost substances enter the body from the outside environment$ although some$ like heat$ can be #roduced internally. "he maAor routes of loss from the body are the urinary system$ digestive system$ res#iratory system$ 7 integumentary system. Bass balance is monitored by sensors ,rece#tors- that detect changes in the internal 7 e*ternal environments. When mass balance is disturbed$ #hysiological 7 behavioral homeostatic refle*es bring the body back into balance. Law of Bass Balance e8uation5 "otal amount of substance I*J in the body 1 intake M #roduction - out#ut. Bass balance is a f* of time. Dor e*am#le$ a #erson is given an intravenous infusion of glucose containing H grams of glucose #er liter. If the infusion is given at a rate of C milliliters #er minute$ the mass flow for glucose would be5 H; g FL60';;; mL soln * C mL soln0min 1 ;.' g FL60min. &ubstances$ whose concentration$ are maintained through mass balance include o*ygen and carbon dio*ide$ water$ salts$ and hydrogen ions. In addition our bodies have regulatory mechanisms to kee# tem#erature and energy stores within an acce#table range.

:omeostasis: '. +lthough the human body as a whole is ada#ted to co#e with a variable e*ternal environment$ most of the individual cells of the body are much less tolerant of change. /nly a small minority of cells in a multicellular organism are actually in direct contact with the e*ternal environment. "he vast maAority of the cells are sheltered from the outside world by the buffer )one of the e+tracellular fluid$ the body fluid that surrounds the cells. "his internal environment serves as the interface between the e*ternal environment and the cells. When conditions outside the body change$ the changes are reflected in the com#osition of the e*tracellular fluid$ which in turn affects the cells. But our cells are not very tolerant of changes in their surroundings. +s a result$ a variety of mechanisms have evolved that maintain the com#osition of the .CD within a narrow range of values. +ny change in the internal environment is met by a res#onse that restores the normal condition. "he body!s coordinated res#onse in order to maintain internal stability is the #rocess known as homeostasis

C.

E.

G.

omeostasis and the regulation of the internal environment are central #rece#ts of #hysiology and create an underlying theme. Dailure to maintain homeostasis disru#ts normal function.