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Biology: Discussion Board Post

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Biology: Discussion Board Post

It is challenging to come up with a precise definition of life. People have coined several

definitions of life, but none has precisely pinned it down to what it means. To define life

explicitly, we must establish a list of properties that uniquely separate living and non-living

organisms. The properties are the key components necessary for living organisms to exist. They

are; order or organization, metabolism, response to stimuli, homeostasis, growth, reproduction,

and evolution (Rosslenbroich, 2016). Cells are the fundamental units that make up living

organisms. (Rosslenbroich, 2016). The order of organisms relies on the organization of these

cells. Living organisms can be unicellular, meaning having one cell, or multicellular, meaning

having many cells. Living organisms must have metabolic reactions to function effectively,

which are the biochemical reactions that occur in organisms. On the other hand, they must

maintain a stable internal environment by neutralizing the external conditions through

homeostasis. Living organisms grow, reproduce to create new organisms, respond to changes in

their surroundings and undergo evolution meaning their genetic makeup can change over time.

The human body consists of several structures having different functions. There are

smaller structures that interlink to form larger structures. These structures are chemicals, cells,

tissues, organs, organ systems, and organisms (Jones & Bartlett Learning, n.d.). The chemical

structures are the simplest building blocks of the organism; they are the subatomic particles,

atoms, and molecules. They assemble to produce the cells that perform all life functions like

energy conversion, taking in nutrients from food, and other specialized functions. A tissue

originates from a collection of several cells. They also have specialized functions within the

body; for example, the muscle tissue in the body is responsible for movement. Two or more

tissues can combine to create an organ like the heart, lungs, or liver. Organs perform one or more
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physiological functions in the body. Finally, a collection of more than two organs forms an organ

system.
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References

Jones & Bartlett Learning (n.d.). An introduction to structure and function.

http://samples.jblearning.com/9781284184914/47933_CH01_FINAL.pdf

Rosslenbroich, B. (2016). Properties of life: Toward a coherent understanding of the organism.

Acta Biotheoretica 64, pp. 277–307. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10441-016-9284-1