Paper detail

The quest for the definition of life

The intricacy and diversity inherent in living organisms present a formidable obstacle to the establishment of a universally accepted definition. Life manifests in a multitude of forms, exhibiting various attributes such as growth, reproduction, responsiveness to stimuli, adaptation, and homeostasis. However, each of these characteristics can also be observed to some degree within certain non-living systems, leading to a blurring of boundaries and generating conceptual complexities. In this manuscript, I demonstrate that the transformation of a non-living entity into a living organism does not adhere to a specific temporal boundary that unequivocally designates the onset of life. Through mathematical analysis, I have demonstrated that a comprehensive definition of living beings does not exist, which means that there are no clear boundaries in the chemical processes that turn non-living entities into living ones. In other words, living organisms do not possess unique characteristics that can completely set them apart from non-living entities. Therefore, no definitive definition exists that unequivocally distinguishes living things from non-living things.

preprint2024arXivOpen access

Signal facts

What is known right now

Open access1 author1 topic

Next steps

Decide what to do with this paper

Use like or dislike for the fast social read. The more specific scholarly feedback stays available below when needed.

Log in to curate

Reading frame

Keep the important context close to the paper

Keep the important signals around this paper in one place: votes, save state, collection context, reviews and the metadata you need before deciding what to do next.

Institutions

Add specific reaction

Move through the context

Research map

Open full explorer

Move through nearby people, institutions, topics and adjacent work without leaving the paper page.

Building this map preview

BZPEER is loading the nearby papers, people, topics and institutions for this page.

Structured reviews

0 review(s)

ContributeLeave structured feedbackUse the review template when you have a concrete strength, concern or method question.Open review form

No structured reviews yet. High-signal critique starts here.

Work discussion

0 comment(s)

DiscussAdd a high-signal commentKeep quick notes, caveats and replication pointers separate from formal reviews.Open comment form

No discussion yet. The first strong comment sets the tone.