A. The Hierarchy of Life *Powers of Ten

B. The Properties of Life (What is Life? video)

1. Complexity and Order - All other characteristics of life emerge from an organism's highly ordered structure.

2. Reproduction - Organisms reproduce their own kind. Life comes from life, an axiom known as biogenesis.

3. Growth and Development - Heritable programs in the form of DNA direct the pattern of growth and development, producing an organism that is characteristic of its species.

4. Energy Utilization - Organisms take in energy and transform it to do many kinds of work.

5. Response to Environment (Stimuli) - Organisms respond to stimuli in their environment.

6. Homeostasis - Regulatory mechanisms maintain an organism's internal environment within tolerable limits.

7. Evolutionary Adaptation - Life evolves as a result of the interaction between organisms and their environments.