mohumohu studio

1. Definition of Life
2. Viruses
3. Summary

1. Definition of Life

What are the criteria for something to be considered a living organism?
What distinguishes living things from non-living things?

The definition of life can be described using the following criteria:

1. Has cells
2. Possesses enzymes and is capable of metabolism
3. Contains nucleic acids and can self-replicate
4. Can respond to stimuli

Let’s take a closer look at each of these!

① Has cells

Cells are the smallest units of life.

② Possesses enzymes and is capable of metabolism

Metabolism refers to the processes of taking in substances and either absorbing, breaking down, or synthesizing them.

③ Contains nucleic acids and can self-replicate

Nucleic acids are like blueprints for living organisms, and self-replication refers to the ability to produce offspring.

④ Can respond to stimuli

This means the organism can react to stimuli from its external environment.

2.Viruses

There are entities in the world that exist in a gray area between living and non-living things.

Those are viruses.

Viruses do not have cells, cannot perform metabolism on their own, and do not respond to stimuli.

However, they are mysterious in that they can self-replicate.

3.Summary

This time, I summarized the beginning of Chapter 1 from “A Review Book for High School Biology You’ve Forgotten” by Toru Omori!

It was just a rough overview today, but from next time, we’ll start exploring the details little by little.