Life

Life is a way of existence of effective instructions for the arrangement of matter. If such established prescriptions are fulfilled, then this course of events is called vital activity. Life does not necessarily have such properties as: metabolism, homeostasis, growth, development, response to irritation, reproduction, evolution during a certain period of existence. For example, frozen organisms, viruses outside cells, seeds before germination do not have these properties, but necessarily contain instructions for their implementation, under favorable conditions.

Life appeared on Earth approximately 3.8 billion years ago[3]. There are several hypotheses for the origin of life on earth, of which the self-genesis hypothesis is the most widespread. It is assumed that the first organisms were built exclusively on the basis of RNA — the hypothesis of the RNA world[4] — without the participation of DNA and proteins that developed later in the course of evolution.

The only known form of life today is based on polymers of tetravalent carbon, where proteins are the active part, carbohydrates and fats are the structural and energetic part, and nucleic acids are the reproductive part .

Living organisms together with their environment form complex systems — ecosystems , which in the planetary dimension are united into a biosphere with latitudinal and altitudinal zoning. To date (2020s), only one biosphere is known - the terrestrial one. The possibility of the existence of biospheres on other very distant planets is assumed.

The term life is used in various meanings in philosophy and religion, which, in particular, relate to interpretations of being, consciousness, the meaning of life, the essence of God or Gods, the soul, life after death, and others.