Question

What is life and how does it work

Answer 1

A half life is the amount of time it takes for half of an isotope to decay in a given sample. The half life of carbon 14 (which is an isotope) is 5730 years. Carbon-14 is present in many fossils, hence scientists use this to figure out the age of fossils, this specific usage is called carbon dating.

Answer 2

What is life?

Life, as we know, Life exists only on planet earth. Life distinguishes itself from other physical entities through biological processes such as reproduction and metabolism. Today, life is abundant and able to thrive in almost every conceivable environment. So how would one define life?

Definition of Life.

Currently, there is no consensus on the definition of life. The most popular definitions build around the fact that life involves: homeostasis; is composed of cells; has a definite lifecycle; can grow; showcases metabolism; responds to stimuli; adapt to the environment, reproduce and evolve. These characteristics are now known as life processes.

Most definitions of life are descriptive. This is because life is technically a process rather than a substance. It becomes even more convoluted due to the lack of knowledge of the characteristics of organisms, if any, that may have developed in planets outside earth. Life can also be defined from a physics perspective where living organisms are considered as thermodynamic systems with an organised molecular structure that is capable of reproduction as well as evolution.