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What criteria do we use to decide whether something is alive?
Answer
Living organisms carry out a variety of activities that ensure their existence. The criteria for something being alive is as follows :
- All living things grow
- All living things move
- All things reproduce (either sexually or asexually)
- All living things carry out basic life processes for their survival, eg. digestion, respiration, excretion etc.
- All living things maintain a stable internal environment (homeostasis)
All living things respond to external stimuli.
