What is life?

Chapter 1: The Science of Life

 Is an egg
aliving
thing?
How can
we tell?

All living organisms carry out

certain activities.
 The Characteristics of Life:
Cells
• All organisms are made up of cells.
• Cells of an organism carry out activities necessary
for the organism to stay alive.

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An Animal Cell
A Plant Cell
 The Characteristics of Life:
Nutrition
• All organisms need energy
to make protoplasm in
cells.
• Nutrition: the process of
taking food and converting
it into new protoplasm.
• Plants make food through
.
• Animals obtain animal by
.

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 The Characteristics of Life:
Respiration
• Respiration: the oxidation of food substances to
release for cell activities.
• All organisms respire.
• In plants and animals, energy is stored as fats and
carbohydrates.
• These substances are broken
down through respiration,
releasing energy.

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 The Characteristics of Life:
Excretion
• Many biochemical reactions take place in cells.
This is called .
• Biochemical reactions produce waste substances
which are removed by a process called excretion.
• Substances to be removed are called excretory
products.
• Examples:
– Carbon dioxide is excreted through the
– Urea is excreted via the .

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 The Characteristics of Life:
Homeostasis
• Cells require a constant chemical and physical
environment in order to carry out their function.
• Homeostasis is the process which maintains a
constant internal environment in the body.
• Examples of constant internal environment:
– Temperature:
– Percentage composition of water:

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 The Characteristics of Life:
Growth and
Development
• Growth is a permanent increase
in the mass and volume of an
organism when absorbed food
is converted into living matter.
• Growth can cause the organism
to:
– change in form,
– become more complex, or
– increase in size.

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 The Characteristics of Life:
Movement
• The movement of organisms is independent of
external forces such as wind or water currents.
• Most animals can move from one place to another


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 The Characteristics of Life:
Reproduction
• All living things are able to reproduce.
• Reproduction allows genetic information to be
passed on from parent to offspring.

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 The Characteristics of Life:
Sensitivity
• Animals and plants are sensitive to changes in
their environment.
• Such changes ( ) often causes plants
and animals to react immediately by reflex
action.
• A reflex action is an automatic response that is
beneficial to the organism.

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 The Characteristics of Life:
Adaptability
• An adaptation is any characteristic of an organism
that improves its chances of surviving in its
environment.
• Examples:
– When seasons change, birds to places
with more favourable weather conditions.
– Plants grow towards the source of .

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 In Summary...
The characteristics of life...
• Cells
• Nutrition
• Respiration
• Excretion
• Homeostasis
• Growth and development
• Movement
• Reproduction
• Sensitivity
• Adaptability

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Is an egg
aliving
thing?
 What about these?
• Algae?

• Peanut?

• Orange?

• Green bean?

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