An important activity in science is classifying objects into related groups. This activity is particularly important in biology. A basic classification is "living" and "non-living." Look around you. Everything you can see is either living or non-living. Of course, some things may have formerly been living—your desk, perhaps. Or your paper. But, basically, you probably don't have much trouble deciding which is which.
What is life? There are six characteristics that scientists generally accept are common to all living things:
They grow.
They reproduce.
They respond to stimuli.
They are carbon and water based.
They use energy (metabolize).
They are made up of cells.
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