Matter - Living and Non-Living
Our universe is made up of two basic components:, matter and. energy. Matter, as you know, has mass; it occupies space. You can touch matter. It exists in two states - living and nonliving. Living things have life. It is easier for us to recognise most of the living things or non-living things than to point out the differences between the two groups. You may easily say, for example, that a rabbit is living whereas a rock is not, and may even give reasons for saying so. However, when you consider viruses for example, no clear cut answer can be given. So let us enumerate and describe the various features that are usually considered characteristic of living organisms. These can be divided into the following
- Chemistry of living things
- Specific organization
- Metabolism
- Growth and Development
- Reproduction
- Irritability
- Adaptation
- Homeostasis
- Movement.
These properties together make up the characteristics of living things and so are the bases of life.