The question to be asked an investigated when observing a structure under the microscope to determine whether it is living is if it has a nucleus if eukaryote or nucleoid if prokaryote.
Explanation:
The major organelle that must be present in all living cells is the nucleus or nucleoid and the protoplasm. The observation of the cell under the microscope will show the subcellular entity, nucleus/nucleoid, more pronounced than other organelles in the cell. The nucleus house the necessary information for the maintenance and reproduction, which is mainly the genetic information that dictates the translational protein products that are needed to build another aspect of the cells. Therefore, when such a tiny structure is placed under the light microscope under the view of oil immersion, the nucleus of the cell should be visible if it is a living structure.
