Non-Living

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.

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