Life is a characteristic distinguishing physical entities having biological processes, such

as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from those that do not, either because such
functions have ceased, or because they never had such functions and are classified
asinanimate. Various forms of life exist such as plants, animals, fungi, protists, archaea,
and bacteria. The criteria can at times be ambiguous and may or may not
define viruses, viroids or potential artificial life as living. Biology is the
primary science concerned with the study of life, although many other sciences are involved.
Throughout history, there have been many theories about life
including materialism, hylomorphism, and vitalism. Even today, it is a challenge for scientists
and philosophers to define life. The smallest contiguous unit of life is called an organism.
Organisms are composed of one or more cells, undergo metabolism, maintain homeostasis,
can grow, respond to stimuli, reproduce (either sexuallyor asexually) and, through evolution,
adapt to their environment in successive generations. A diverse array of living organisms can
be found in the biosphere of Earth, and the properties common to these organisms are
a carbon- and water-based cellular form with complex organization and
heritable genetic information.
Abiogenesis is the natural process of life arising from non-living matter, such as
simple organic compounds. The earliest life on Earth arose at least 3.5 billion years ago,
during the Eoarchean Era when sufficient crust had solidified following the molten Hadean
Eon. The earliest physical evidence of life on Earth is biogenic graphite from 3.7 billion-yearold metasedimentary rocks found in Western Greenland and microbial mat fossils in 3.48
billion-year-old sandstone found in Western Australia. Some theories, such as the Late
Heavy Bombardment theory, suggest that life on Earth may have started even earlier, as
early as 4.1-4.4 billion years ago. [1][2][3][4][5]According to one of the researchers, "If life arose
relatively quickly on Earth ... then it could be common in the universe."[2]
The mechanism by which life began on Earth is unknown, although many hypotheses have
been formulated. Since emerging, life has evolved into a variety of forms, which have
been classified into a hierarchy of taxa. Life can survive and thrive in a wide range of
conditions. Nonetheless, it is estimated that 99 percent of all species, amounting to over five
billion species,[6] that ever lived on Earth are extinct.[7][8] Estimates on the number of Earth's
current species range from 10 million to 14 million,[9] of which about 1.2 million have been
documented and over 86 percent have not yet been described. [10] The chemistry leading to
life may have begun shortly after the Big Bang, 13.8 billion years ago, during a habitable
epoch when the Universe was only 1017 million years old. [11][12][13]Though life is confirmed
only on the Earth, many think that extraterrestrial life is not only plausible, but probable or
inevitable.[14][15]Other planets and moons in the Solar System and other planetary systems are

being examined for evidence of having once supported simple life, and projects such
as SETI are trying to detect radio transmissions from possible alien civilizations.