How do living bodies differ from nonliving ones? What is the difference between living and non-living things?

In ancient times, people considered almost everything that surrounded them to be representatives of the living world. They simply treated some objects as part of their life and everyday life, while they deified others, since they could not understand the nature of their existence.

Types of objects in the surrounding world

Nowadays, most of us, having already looked at an object, can immediately say what type of nature it belongs to: living or inanimate. But sometimes the presence of certain signs that are inherent in living organisms can confuse a person - what type of objects can this or that object be classified as?

Both stone and mushroom do not have the ability to move in space, but if the first is clearly classified as a non-living organism, then the mushroom is certainly classified as a species of living nature. Because there are other signs that allow us to distinguish one species from another.

The mouse lives with a continuous process of respiration throughout its life, absorbing from surrounding atmosphere oxygen and releasing carbon dioxide, but a candle also absorbs oxygen with its burning flame, but does not emit carbon dioxide as a processed product. Thus, the metabolic process is like the only sign, can be inherent in various objects and cannot be fundamental classification factor in the environment.

Therefore in modern science There is a set of characteristics that allows us to understand how a living object differs from a nonliving one. And if the study reveals that not all signs of the class of living organisms are present, then such an object can safely be classified as a representative of the inanimate world.

Features of living species of nature and their main differences

At first glance, all the nature that surrounds us can be called alive.

So how is it different from the inanimate world? To find the correct answer to this question, you need to carefully study general properties both types.

One of the signs of difference is the continuous exchange process of energy and substances between them - representatives of a certain class of living nature and its environment. Also obvious signs of such an organism are determined at the molecular level by the presence of protein and nucleic acids in the composition of each molecule.

In addition, there are several other signs that directly indicate what wildlife differs from inanimate and give an answer to this difficult question.

Only the presence or absence of the entire set of listed characteristics will allow us to give an unambiguous answer that the object under study belongs to one or another class of nature.

Features of inanimate species of nature

Considering the above set of characteristics that only living organisms can possess, the absence of at least one of them may indicate that the object belongs to inanimate nature.

Here are the main signs of non-living organisms:

There are several fundamental differences in material, structural and functional terms. In material terms, the composition of living things necessarily includes highly ordered macromolecular organic compounds, called biopolymers, are proteins and nucleic acids(DNA and RNA). Structurally, living things differ from non-living things. cellular structure. Functionally, living bodies are characterized by self-reproduction. Stability and reproduction also exist in non-living systems. But in living bodies there is a process of self-reproduction. It is not something that reproduces them, but they themselves. This is a fundamentally new moment.

Also, living bodies differ from nonliving ones in the presence of metabolism, the ability to grow and develop, the active regulation of their composition and functions, the ability to move, irritability, adaptability to the environment, etc. An integral property of living things is activity, activity. “All living beings must either act or perish. The mouse must be in constant movement", a bird must fly, a fish must swim, and even a plant must grow."

Prebiological structures, which are giant organic macromolecules, are the limit of the chemical evolution of matter. The next, and fundamentally different level of complexity in the organization of matter compared to the atomic-molecular level is living matter, living nature. Life in all its forms is an object of biology, therefore, bearing in mind all living things, we can talk about the biological level of organization of matter .

Living nature (in short - life) is a form of organization of matter at the level of the macrocosm, which differs sharply from other forms in many ways. Each of these signs can serve to distinguish between living and inanimate nature, and accordingly - the basis for determining what life is. All these signs are significant. None of them can be neglected.

First of all, any living object is a system - a set of interacting elements that has properties that are absent in the elements that form this object. For the subsequent analysis of the living, we will use the definition of life given by Academician M.V. Wolkenstein: “Life is a form of existence of macroscopic heterogeneous open highly nonequilibrium systems capable of self-organization and self-reproduction.” Let us consider individual provisions of this formulation.

The microscopic nature of a living thing means that any living organism, starting with a bacterium, or its independently functioning subsystem must contain large number atoms. Otherwise, the orderliness necessary for life would be destroyed by fluctuations.

Heterogeneity means that an organism is made up of many different substances.

The openness of a living system is manifested in the continuous exchange of energy and matter with environment. Self-organization is possible only in open, highly nonequilibrium systems.

In addition to the noted key features of living systems, other important properties of living organisms should be pointed out.

Similarities chemical composition all living organisms. The elemental composition of living things is determined mainly by six elements: oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorus. In addition, living systems contain a set of complex biopolymers that are not typical for nonliving systems (proteins, nucleic acids, enzymes, etc.)

Living systems exist for a finite time. The property of self-reproduction is preserved biological species. The finitude of living systems creates conditions for their replacement and improvement.

The property of all living things - irritability - manifests itself in the form of a reaction of a living system to information and external influence.

A living system is discrete - it consists of individual (discrete) elements that interact with each other. Each of them is also a living system. Along with discreteness, a living system is characterized by the property of integrity - all its elements function only thanks to the functioning of the entire system as a whole.

Since the first days of the existence of Homo sapiens, this question - “what is life?” has caused heated discussions. Religious teachers, philosophers, humanists, and in our time, psychologists and physiologists - everyone has tried, or are trying to define how living things differ from non-living things? We will try to do this too.

Signs of being alive

The strongest difference that catches your eye is life, this is an active form of existence of matter. However, it's not all that simple. Matter can exhibit physical activity (for example, there are many electrical processes going on in your computer right now), as well as chemical activity (this is how sugar behaves in a cup of hot tea - it gradually changes from one form to another). But, of course, no one will dare to call a computer or a cup of tea living beings!

Consequently, life is not only movement or transformation. Living is HIGHER form existence of matter, surpassing its physical and chemical forms. Distinctive feature living is its ability to reproduce itself according to a given program. This program, or instruction, is placed in the genetic code - an important attribute that ONLY living beings have. Hence the first conclusion - life must be able to transmit hereditary information, must have genetic code. Living creatures without such a code have not yet been discovered on Earth.

The second important sign of living things is homeostasis, i.e. the body's ability to maintain its internal state. For example, if you bury a pole in the ground and leave it unattended for a while, it will quickly become dilapidated and may even fall. This matter is inanimate, and obeys the so-called “Second Law of Thermodynamics,” according to which all matter tends to primary chaos. But with living matter the situation is completely different. If you plant a tree next to our pillar, after a while, it won’t just become dilapidated, but quite the opposite. Without any intervention on our part, it will begin to grow and will do so for many years! For example, some species of trees live for more than 3,000 years, and there are (living!) examples of them today that saw the construction of the Greek Parthenon. And if the latter turned into ruins, then these plants feel great to this day. This demonstrates very well the difference - how living things differ from non-living things.

It should be noted that there are creatures on our planet that are difficult to classify as living or inanimate nature. These are viruses. IN normal conditions(while in soil or water) they do not show any signs of life - they do not divide, they do not try to maintain their homeostasis. Those. behave like any highly organized but dead matter (for example, a crystal or a snowflake). However, as soon as they get inside a living cell, they immediately come to life and integrate their genetic code into the cell’s program (which is why malicious computer programs are also called “viruses” - the mechanism of action is very similar). Therefore, debates among biologists still persist over whether viruses should be classified as living or non-living?

We hope you found our little research interesting!

Biology test How living things differ from non-living things for 6th grade students. The test consists of 2 options, each with 11 tasks.

1 option

1. Not classified as objects of living nature

1) bacteria
2) plants
3) crystals
4) mushrooms

2. The similarity between plants and animals is that they

1) have a cellular structure
2) produce milk
3) absorb water from the soil
4) have the same body sizes

3. smallest particle animal that performs all vital important processes, - This

1) limb
2) cell
3) hair
4) tooth

4. The ability of animals to respond to changes in the environment is called

1) metabolism
2) irritability
3) reproduction
4) highlighting

5. The transformation of a tadpole into a frog is an example of the process

1) reproduction
2) development
3) irritability
4) movements

6. The living organism shown in the figure is classified as

1) plants
2) animals
3) soil bacteria
4) soil fungi

7.

A. Plants are capable of limited movements.
B. The stem of a sweet pea twining around a support is an example of plant movement.

1) Only A is correct
2) Only B is correct
3) Both judgments are correct
4) Both judgments are incorrect

8. Are the following statements true?

A. Between the dog’s body and the environment there is
comes from metabolism and energy.
B. Metabolism is characteristic only of animals.

1) Only A is correct
2) Only B is correct
3) Both judgments are correct
4) Both judgments are incorrect

9. Are the following statements true?

A. All living organisms are multicellular.
B. Plants form nutrients using

1) Only A is correct
2) Only B is correct
3) Both judgments are correct
4) Both judgments are incorrect

10.
A frog, like an animal, is capable

1) move actively

3) capture prey

5) multiply
6) turn into crystal

11. Read the text. Fill in the gaps with the letters corresponding to the words from the dictionary.

To maintain the vital activity of a living organism, between it and the environment occurs ... (1). The body spends the resulting substances on... (2), while the size of the body of an object of living nature increases. During life, changes occur in the structure of the organism or its parts - this is ... (3) a living being. One of the main signs of living things is considered to be the reproduction of similar organisms, or... (4).

Dictionary.
A. Reproduction.
B. Development.
B. Metabolism.
G. Growth.

Option 2

1. According to modern scientific ideas, bacteria are considered to be

1) crystals
2) drops of liquid
3) dust particles
4) living organisms

2. The cellular structure is characteristic of

1) plants
2) lumps of soil
3) drops of water
4) grains of sand

3. The smallest particle of a plant that performs all vital functions
but important processes are

1) flower
2) seed
3) cell
4) kidney

4. The ability of fungi to reproduce similar organisms is usually called

1) metabolism
2) irritability
3) reproduction
4) height

5. The formation of flowers on the shoots of an apple tree is an example of the process

1) irritability
2) discharge
3) food
4) development

6. The education shown in the figure is classified as

1) inanimate objects
2) plants
3) bacteria
4) animals

7. Are the following statements true?

A. Birds grow throughout their lives.
B. The growth of poplar shoots and roots is not limited, i.e. the body grows throughout life

1) Only A is correct
2) Only B is correct
3) Both judgments are correct
4) Both judgments are incorrect

8. Are the following statements true?

A. The growth and development of a deer occurs due to the consumed
nutrients.
B. The metabolism that occurs in the body of a fox includes respiration, nutrition and excretion.

1) Only A is correct
2) Only B is correct
3) Both judgments are correct
4) Both judgments are incorrect

9. Are the following statements true?

A. Plants and animals are able to move.
B. Animals feed on ready-made nutrients by actively capturing food.

1) Only A is correct
2) Only B is correct
3) Both judgments are correct
4) Both judgments are incorrect

10. Choose three true statements.
Birch, as a plant organism, is capable of

1) move actively
2) grow unlimitedly throughout your life
3) capture prey
4) form nutrients in the light
5) respond to changes in the environment
6) transform into other living organisms

11. Read the text. Fill in the gaps with the letters corresponding to the words from the dictionary.

Living organisms are sensitive to changes occurring within them and in the external environment. This property of living nature is called... (1). All objects of living nature are characterized by... (2). The work of cells and the entire living organism is ensured by ... (3) between the organism and the environment. Necessary for the functioning of the body organic matter come during the process... (4).

Dictionary.
A. Metabolism.
B. Irritability.
B. Nutrition.
G. Growth.

Answers to a biology test How living things differ from non-living things
1 option
1-3, 2-1, 3-2, 4-2, 5-2, 6-2, 7-3, 8-1, 9-2, 10-135, 11-VGBA.
Option 2
1-4, 2-1, 3-3, 4-3, 5-4, 6-1, 7-2, 8-3, 9-3, 10-245, 11-BGAV.

Difference between living and nonliving.

There are several fundamental differences in material, structural and functional terms. In material terms, living things necessarily include highly ordered macromolecular organic compounds called biopolymers - proteins and nucleic acids (DNA and RNA). Structurally, living things differ from non-living things in their cellular structure. Functionally, living bodies are characterized by self-reproduction. Stability and reproduction also exist in non-living systems. But in living bodies there is a process of self-reproduction. It is not something that reproduces them, but they themselves. This is a fundamentally new moment.

Also, living bodies differ from nonliving ones in the presence of metabolism, the ability to grow and develop, the active regulation of their composition and functions, the ability to move, irritability, adaptability to the environment, etc. An integral property of living things is activity, activity. “All living beings must either act or perish. A mouse must be in constant motion, a bird must fly, a fish must swim, and even a plant must grow.”

One of the most important problems of modern natural science is the study of the cyclicity of processes occurring in a living organism. This problem is of interest to doctors and aviators, gardeners and ornithologists, biochemists and geneticists, biophysicists and immunologists, physiologists and astronauts.

The idea of ​​the rhythmic flow of processes in nature and human life had adherents even in the earliest period of the development of natural science. In the 4th century. BC e. the brilliant thinker of antiquity, Aristotle, wrote: “The duration of all these phenomena, pregnancy, development, and life, is quite naturally measured by periods. I call periods day and night, month, year and the times measured by them, and in addition, lunar periods... Just as the sea and all kinds of waters stand, as we see, motionless or agitated according to the movement or rest of the winds, and the air and winds according to the periods of the sun and moon, so also what arises from them or in them is necessary follow these periods, for it is in the order of things that less important periods follow more important ones."

So, one of the conditions for the existence of living systems is the rhythmicity of biological functions inherent in living matter.

Developed throughout the course of evolution, the time sequence of interaction between various functional systems of the body and the environment contributes to the harmonious coordination of various rhythmic biological processes and ensures the normal functioning of the entire organism. This reveals the important adaptive significance of biorhythms for the life of the body.

The purpose of the essay is to study the influence of solar rhythms on nature.

1. Rhythm in nature

The natural system is characterized by its inherent spatial and temporal rhythms. Spatial rhythms refer to the structural features of a system: the location of its parts in space, shape and symmetry. In the essay on rhythmicity, we will need a few more definitions that clarify the concepts: rhythm, cycle, period.

A period is a number that characterizes a harmonic in the frequency spectrum of a time series of values ​​of any parameter of system states, having the dimension of time, obtained by averaging or as a result of some other mathematical procedure when identifying hidden periodicities.

A cycle is the process of a system changing qualitatively different states from the initial one to the same one, and the difference in similar qualitative states is not taken into account.

Rhythm is an always repeated “change of phases, i.e., a continuous change of qualitatively different states.” This definition of rhythm was given by N.Ya. Perna in his book “Rhythm, Life and Creativity”. Rhythm is not just a sinusoidal, wave-like change in the value of some parameter, it is always a change in the ratio of qualities: one (or ones) is replaced by another (or others) and so on incessantly.

The complex rhythmic picture of the system develops under the influence of its own processes and from external influences. Rhythm is necessary for the coordinated functioning of parts of the system. Any natural system is distributed in space, occupies a finite volume, and can never be concentrated at one point. All known processes in nature have finite flow rates, which means that any elementary act in the system lasts a certain finite time. During its existence, a natural system necessarily goes through a number of similar states that form the life cycle of the natural system. The need for repeated coordinated action of different parts of the system in each cycle leads to the rhythmicity of natural phenomena observed everywhere. The rhythmic organization of the internal activity of the system leads to rhythmic external influences it to other systems.

Biological rhythms are described at all levels, starting from the simplest biological reactions in the cage and ending with complex behavioral reactions. Thus, a living organism is a collection of numerous rhythms with different characteristics.

The concept of “rhythm” is associated with the idea of ​​harmony, organization of phenomena and processes. Translated from Greek, the word “rhythm”, “rhythmos” means proportionality, harmony. Rhythmic are those natural phenomena that repeat periodically. This is the movement of celestial bodies, the change of seasons, day and night, the periodicity of ebb and flow. As well as the alternation of maxima and minima of solar activity.

Various physical phenomena have a periodic, wave-like character. These include electromagnetic waves, sound, etc. Change is an example in life. atomic weight elements, reflecting the sequential alternation of the chemical properties of matter.

The basic rhythms in nature, which left their mark on all life on Earth, arose under the influence of the rotation of the Earth in relation to the Sun, Moon and stars.

A natural system is an open system, that is, it is subject to the influence of other natural systems. This means that rhythms within one system can be determined by the rhythms of other systems through interactions between systems.

The problem of the origin of life has now acquired an irresistible fascination for all humanity. It not only attracts the close attention of scientists from different countries and specialties, but is of interest to all people of the world.
It is now generally accepted that the emergence of life on Earth was a natural process, completely amenable to scientific research. This process was based on the evolution of carbon compounds, which occurred in the Universe long before the emergence of our Solar System and only continued during the formation of planet Earth - during the formation of its crust, hydrosphere and atmosphere.
Since the origin of life, nature has been in continuous development. The process of evolution has been going on for hundreds of millions of years, and its result is a diversity of living forms that, in many ways, has not yet been fully described and classified.
The question of the origin of life is difficult to study because when science approaches the problems of development as the creation of a qualitatively new thing, it finds itself at the limit of its capabilities as a branch of culture based on evidence and experimental verification of statements.
Scientists today are unable to reproduce the process of the origin of life with the same accuracy as it was several billion years ago. Even the most carefully staged experiment will be only a model experiment, devoid of a number of factors that accompanied the appearance of life on Earth. The difficulty lies in the impossibility of conducting a direct experiment on the origin of life (the uniqueness of this process prevents the use of the basic scientific method).
The question of the origin of life is interesting not only in itself, but also because of its close connection with the problem of distinguishing living from non-living.

1. Life: general differences between living systems and nonliving ones

Life, higher than the physical and chemical forms of existence of matter, naturally arises under certain conditions in the process of its development. Living objects differ from non-living ones in metabolism - an indispensable condition for life, the ability to reproduce, grow, actively regulate their composition and functions, to various forms of movement, irritability, adaptability to the environment, etc. However, a strictly scientific distinction between living and nonliving objects encounters certain difficulties. Thus, there is still no consensus on whether viruses that outside the cells of the host body do not possess any of the attributes of a living thing can be considered alive: the viral particle at this time has no metabolic processes, it is not able to reproduce, etc. The specificity of living objects and life processes can be characterized in terms of both their material structure and essential functions, underlying all manifestations of life. The most precise definition of life, which simultaneously embraces both of these approaches to the problem, was given about 100 years ago by F. Engels: “Life is a way of existence of protein bodies, and this way of existence consists essentially in the constant self-renewal of the chemical components of these bodies.” The term “protein” was not yet defined quite precisely and was usually referred to protoplasm as a whole.
All currently known objects that have undoubted attributes of life contain two main types of biopolymers: proteins and nucleic acids (DNA and RNA). Aware of the incompleteness of his definition, Engels wrote: “Our definition of life, of course, is very insufficient, since it is far from covering all the phenomena of life, but, on the contrary, is limited to the most general and simplest among them... To obtain a truly comprehensive idea about life, we would have to trace all the forms of its manifestation, from the lowest to the highest."
Charles Darwin, in the last lines of “The Origin of Species,” writes about the basic laws that, in his opinion, underlie the emergence of all forms of life: “These laws, in the broadest sense, are Growth and Reproduction, Heredity, almost necessarily arising from reproduction, Variability , depending on the direct or indirect action of life conditions and on exercise and lack of exercise, the progression of reproduction is so high that it leads to the Struggle for life and its consequence - Natural Selection...” Leaving aside the role of exercise, which, according to later data, serves as a factor in non-hereditary variability, Darwin's generalization remains valid to this day, and his basic laws of life are reduced to two even more general ones. This is, first of all, the ability of living things to assimilate substances received from outside, i.e. rebuild them, likening them to their own material structures, and due to this repeatedly reproduce them (reproduce). Moreover, if the original structure has accidentally changed, it continues to be reproduced in a new form. The ability for excessive self-reproduction underlies cell growth, reproduction of cells and organisms and, consequently, the progression of reproduction (the main condition for natural selection), as well as the basis of heredity and hereditary variability.
Soviet biochemist V.A. Engelhardt considers the reproduction of one's own kind as a fundamental property of living things, which is now interpreted in terms of chemical concepts at a truly molecular level. Another feature of living things is the huge variety of properties acquired due to variability in the material structures of living objects. Each of these two fundamental properties is associated primarily with the function of one of the two biopolymers. "Record" of hereditary properties, i.e. The coding of the characteristics of an organism necessary for reproduction is carried out using DNA and RNA, although enzyme proteins certainly take part in the reproduction process itself. Thus, it is not a single molecule of DNA, protein or RNA that is alive, but their system as a whole. The implementation of diverse information about the properties of an organism is carried out through the synthesis, according to the genetic code, of various proteins (enzymatic, structural, etc.), which, due to their diversity and structural plasticity, determine the development of a wide variety of physical and chemical adaptations of living organisms. On this foundation, in the process of evolution, living control systems, unsurpassed in their perfection, arose.
Thus, life is characterized by highly ordered material structures containing two types of biopolymers (protein and DNA or RNA), which constitute a living system generally capable of self-reproduction according to the principle of matrix synthesis. A characteristic feature of the chemical composition of life forms known to us is the asymmetry of optically active substances, represented in living objects by left-handed or right-handed forms.
Life is possible only under certain physical and chemical conditions (temperature, the presence of water, a number of salts, etc.). However, the cessation of life processes, for example, when drying seeds or deep freezing of small organisms, does not lead to loss of viability. If the structure remains intact, it ensures the restoration of life processes when returning to normal conditions.
Life is qualitatively superior to other forms of existence of matter in terms of the diversity and complexity of chemical components and the dynamics of transformations occurring in living things. Living systems are characterized by a much higher level of order, structural and functional, in space and time. The structural compactness and energy efficiency of living things are the result of the highest order at the molecular level. “It is in the ability of the living to create order from the chaotic thermal movement of molecules,” writes Engelhardt, “that the most profound, fundamental difference between living and nonliving consists. The tendency to ordering, to creating order from chaos, is nothing more than counteraction to the increase in entropy.” Living systems exchange energy, matter and information with the environment, i.e. are open systems. At the same time, unlike inanimate systems, in them there is no equalization of energy differences and restructuring of structures towards more probable forms, but the opposite is observed: differences in energy potentials, chemical composition, etc. are restored, i.e. work continuously occurs “against equilibrium” (E. Bauer). This is the basis for erroneous statements that living systems allegedly do not obey the second law of thermodynamics. However, a local decrease in entropy in living systems is possible only due to an increase in entropy in the environment, so that in general the process of increasing entropy continues, which is quite consistent with the requirements of the second law of thermodynamics. According to the figurative expression of the Austrian physicist E. Schrödinger, living organisms seem to feed on negative entropy (negentropy), extracting it from the environment and thereby increasing the increase in positive entropy in it.

2. Properties (signs) of living systems

So, the general properties characteristic of all living things and their differences from similar processes occurring in inanimate nature are:
1) unity of chemical composition,
2) metabolism,
3) self-reproduction (reproduction),
4) heredity,
5) variability,
6) growth and development,
7) irritability,
8) discreteness,
9) rhythm,
10) relative energy dependence,
11) homeostasis.
1. Unity of chemical composition. Living organisms contain the same chemical elements as inanimate objects. However, the ratio of various elements in living and nonliving things is not the same. The elemental composition of inanimate nature, along with oxygen, is represented mainly by silicon, iron, iron, aluminum, etc. In living organisms, 98% of the chemical composition is made up of four elements - carbon, oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen.
2. Metabolism. All living organisms are capable of metabolism with the environment, absorbing from it the elements necessary for nutrition and excreting waste products. With the non-biological circulation of substances, they are simply transferred from one place to another or their state of aggregation changes, while in living organisms the exchange has a qualitatively different level, including the processes of synthesis and decay. Through a series of complex chemical transformations, substances absorbed from the environment are transformed into the substances of a living organism, from which their body is built. Such processes are called assimilation, or plastic exchange. Processes that reverse assimilation, as a result of which complex organic compounds break down into simpler ones, are called dissimilation. With this decomposition of substances, their similarity with the substances of the body is lost and the energy necessary for biosynthesis reactions is released, as a result of which dissimilation is also called energy metabolism. Metabolism ensures the constancy of the chemical composition and structure of all parts of the body and, as a result, the constancy of their functioning in continuously changing environmental conditions.
3. Self-reproduction (reproduction). Self-reproduction, reproduction, or reproduction is the property of organisms to reproduce their own kind; this process is carried out at almost all levels of organization of living matter. Thanks to reproduction, not only whole organisms, but also cells, cell organelles (mitochondria, plastids, etc.) after division are similar to their predecessors. From one DNA molecule - deoxyribonucleic acid - when it is doubled, two daughter molecules are formed that completely repeat the original one. Self-reproduction is based on reactions of matrix synthesis, that is, the formation of structures based on the information contained in the sequence of DNA nucleotides.
4. Heredity is the ability of organisms to transmit their characteristics, properties and developmental characteristics from generation to generation. Heredity is due to stability, based on the constancy of the structure of DNA molecules.
5. Variability is a property that seems to be the opposite of heredity, but at the same time closely related to it, since this changes the hereditary inclinations - genes that determine the development of certain characteristics. In other words, variability is the ability of organisms to acquire new characteristics and properties, which is based on changes in biological matrices. Variability creates a variety of material for natural selection, that is, the selection of the most adapted individuals to specific conditions of existence in nature, which, in turn, leads to the emergence of new forms of life, new species of organisms.
6. Growth and development. Development is understood as an irreversible, directed, natural change in the composition or structure of objects of living and inanimate nature. The development of a living form of existence of matter is represented by individual development, or ontogenesis, and historical development, or phylogenesis. In the process of development, a specific structural organization of the individual arises, and the increase in its biomass is due to the reproduction of macromolecules, elementary cell structures and the cells themselves. Phylogenesis, or evolution, is the irreversible and directed development of living nature, accompanied by the formation of new species and the progressive (or regressive) complication (or simplification) of life. The result of evolution is all the diversity of living organisms on earth.
7. Irritability. Any organism is inextricably linked with the environment: it extracts nutrients from it, is exposed to adverse environmental factors, interacts with other organizations, etc. In the process of evolution, living organisms have developed and consolidated the ability to selectively respond to external influences. This property is called irritability. Any change in the environmental conditions surrounding an organism represents an irritation in relation to it, and its reaction to external stimuli serves as an indicator of its sensitivity and a manifestation of irritability. The reaction of multicellular animals to irritation is carried out through the nervous system and is called a reflex.
8. Discreteness. The word “discreteness” itself means intermittency, separation and characterizes the property of life to manifest itself in the form discrete forms. An individual organism or other biological system (species, biocenosis, etc.) consists of separate isolated, that is, isolated or delimited in space, but nevertheless closely connected and interacting with each other, forming a structural and functional unity. Any type of organism includes individual individuals. The body of a highly organized individual forms spatially delimited individuals, which, in turn, consist of individual cells. The energy apparatus of the cell is represented by individual mitochondria, the protein synthesis apparatus is represented by ribosomes, etc. down to macromolecules. The property of discreteness of an organism is the basis of its structural orderliness, the possibility of constant self-renewal with the replacement of structural elements (molecules, enzymes, cell organelles and whole cells) without cessation of the function performed. The discreteness of a species predetermines the possibility of its evolution through the death or elimination of unadapted individuals from reproduction and the preservation of individuals with traits useful for survival.
9. Rhythm. Rhythm (from the Greek "rhythmos" - flow) is understood as the repetition of the same event or state through strictly defined periods of time. In physics, periodic processes are expressed in hertz (Hz). Hz is the frequency of the periodic process at which one cycle of the periodic process occurs in 1 s. The shortest period of time through which a system oscillating returns again to the same state in which it was at the initial moment is called the period of oscillation. In biology, rhythmicity is understood as periodic changes in the intensity of physiological functions with different periods of oscillation (from a few seconds to a year and a century). The circadian rhythms of sleep and wakefulness in humans are well known; seasonal rhythms of activity and hibernation in some mammals (ground squirrels, hedgehogs, bears) and many others. Rhythm is aimed at coordinating the functions of the body with the environment, that is, at adapting to constantly changing conditions of existence.
10. Relative energy dependence. Living bodies are “open” systems, stable only if they have continuous access to energy and matter in the form of food from the environment. Living organisms, unlike objects of inanimate nature, are delimited from the environment by membranes (outer cell membrane in unicellular organisms, integumentary tissue in multicellular organisms). These membranes complicate the exchange of substances between the body and the external environment, minimize the loss of substances and maintain the spatial unity of the system. Thus, living organisms differ sharply from objects of physics and chemistry - non-living systems - by their exceptional complexity and high structural and functional order. These differences give life qualitatively new properties. Living things represent a special stage in the development of matter.
11. Homeostasis (self-regulation) is a set of adaptive reactions of the body aimed at maintaining the dynamic state of its internal environment (body temperature, blood pressure, etc.). It is based on the principle of negative feedback. It is this ability of living systems to maintain a stationary state in a constantly changing environment that determines their survival.

Conclusion

Life, a higher form of existence of matter compared to the physical and chemical, naturally arises under certain conditions in the process of its development. Living objects differ from non-living ones in metabolism - an indispensable condition for life, the ability to reproduce, grow, actively regulate their composition and functions, to various forms of movement, irritability, adaptability to the environment, etc.
The peculiarity of living things lies in the huge variety of properties acquired due to the variability of the material structures of living objects.
Living systems are characterized by a much higher level of order, structural and functional, in space and time.
Living systems exchange energy, matter and information with the environment, i.e. are open systems. At the same time, unlike inanimate systems, there is no equalization of energy differences and restructuring of structures towards more probable forms, but the opposite is observed: differences in energy potentials, chemical composition, etc., are restored, i.e. work is constantly happening “against equilibrium”.
Thus, life is qualitatively superior to other forms of existence of matter in terms of the diversity and complexity of chemical components and the dynamics of transformations occurring in living things. Living things are distinguished by alive from nonliving. It was found that the hereditary... "life force" which distinguishes alive from nonliving. But this definition remained... reasons, no mechanisms differences alive from nonliving.If the first vitalists...