Characteristics of Living Things

Defining life can be very difficult. Scientists don’t all agree on a standard list of characteristics that define all life, but most generally agree on a common set of properties. Many of these properties are not limited to living things; some nonliving things may share a few of these characteristics as well. For instance, viruses don’t have the necessary machinery to reproduce themselves; they must use cellular hosts to make more viral copies. Because they cannot reproduce, they are not considered living.

Case Assignment

Your Assignment:

1. What is life? Research six specimens from the list below, describe them as living, nonliving, or dead and give support for why each belongs in their respective category.

1. What traits did you list as characteristics of living things, but were not easily observable?
2. List several processes that occur while an organism is alive, but cease when it is dead.
3. Did any nonliving things possess some of the same characteristics as living things? Which ones?
4. How do plants differ from animals in their life activities?
5. Define the word dormant. What factors influence whether something is considered dormant?
6. Research one of the following controversial discoveries: nanobacteria (Young & Martel, 2009), the “fossilized Martian bacteria” observed on the meteorite ALH84001 (McKay et al., 1996), or Craig Venter’s 2010 announcement of the first creation of “synthetic life” (Gibson et al., 2010). Review the claims made by the researchers who announced the discovery. Do the organisms fit the definition of life? How so?

Assignment Expectations

Organize this essay assignment using subtitles that summarize the topic from each question above. For example, to answer Question 1, use a descriptive subtitle like the following: What is Life?

Your essay should be approximately 2-3 pages in length. Answer each question under the subtitle using complete sentences that relate back to the question. Be sure to use APA formatting throughout your essay with 1-inch margins, 12-point type and double spacing throughout. Include a title page, introduction, answers to the questions with subtitles and concluding paragraph. Remember to include in-text citations within the body of the essay referencing your resources (i.e. Murray, 2014). Also, be sure to include a reference section at the end of your assignment listing all required readings and any additional resources you used to complete your essay. See the Trident guide to APA Style, 7th edition.

Direct quotes should be limited and must be designated by quotation marks. Paraphrased ideas must give credit to the original author, for example (Murray, 2014). Direct copying from “homework help” websites will not receive credit. Once you have completed your assignment within a word document, please upload your final version to the Module One Case Assignment dropbox. Please also note your Turnitin originality score and make revisions as needed. Please Citizen science projects are research activities that allow non-scientists to participate in data collection and make contributions to many areas of science from ecology to astronomy. These projects are sponsored by individuals, organizations and universities. Activities vary widely from observing and counting birds to completing surveys on pet behavior.

You will be creating a presentation researching one citizen science project from the list below (or you may search the internet for a citizen science project of your choosing). You do not have to participate in the study to complete your assignment, but many of these projects are available for citizen participation all over the world.

1. Wildwatch Kenya
   Project goal is to count, identify and track the giraffes in conservation field sites through trail camera photos. https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/sandiegozooglobal/wildwatch-kenya
2. The Great Backyard Bird Count
   Citizens collect data on the highest number of birds of each species seen together at one time.
   http://gbbc.birdcount.org/

Topics you should include in your presentation:

Slide 1
Title Slide with Name, Course and Date

Slides 2-3: Introduction
Introduction and background on your chosen citizen science project, including what questions are being asked and who is asking them. Include a summary of why you chose this project:

• What is the problem(s) the researchers are trying to solve?
• Complete additional research to determine what is known about the problem(s).
• What questions would you like answered?
• Include supporting images

Slides 4-5
Describe any observations or experiments that have been conducted to answer the research question(s). How will this help answer the questions being asked? Include any supporting images.

Slides 6-7
Add additional interesting facts you gathered about the citizen project (this may require additional research). Include any relevant images.

Slides 8-9 – Conclusion
Summarize your project findings.

• Why do scientists need the help of citizens to accurately answer their questions?
• What are some of the pros and cons of using citizens to collect data?
• Why is this research important?
• What are the possible real world applications?

Slide 10—References
Please provide your sources in APA format including the link to your citizen project.

SLP Assignment Expectations

For this SLP assignment you will develop a PowerPoint Presentation that is approximately 1-10 slides in length and addresses the requirements outlined above. Place the text containing the answers to the questions above in the slide area, summarizing each topic using bullet points (in your own words, you may expand in more detail using the notes area). Use 4-5 bullet points per slide. Avoid using lengthy sentences and paragraphs. Maintain consistent font sizes throughout the presentation.

Be sure to include citations referencing your sources on each slide (use either the slide or notes area). Include a descriptive title for each slide that describes the topic being discussed. Be sure to include a title slide with your name, assignment type (ex. SLP Module 1) and course title. Include a slide summarizing your project findings (Conclusion slide). Your final slide should contain a list of references cited in APA format.

Please upload your final presentation to the Module 1 SLP dropbox. Please also note your Turnitin originality score and make revisions as needed. Please contact your instructor with any questions.contact your instructor with any questions.

Answer preview

Brown grass is a living thing, considering it consumes nutrients, reproduces, and grows. Similarly, mushrooms are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Fungi. This is because they are comprised of cells and thus, need the energy to live. Even though a fertilized chicken egg is inactive, it is still living. Once an egg gets fertilized, it forms a zygote cell and thus becomes a living organism. Amoebas are single-cellular organisms that reproduce and consume other protists, detritus, or bacteria. Such an aspect then means that they are living organisms. HIV is not a living thing. This is because they are complex assemblies of molecules that cannot

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