Question

Scientifically, at what point does a cell or cells become a living thing? What structures and functions of a cell make it living?

Answer 1

https://oli.cmu.edu/jcourse/workbook/activity/page?context=0babe1eb80020ca601fad55d9019f7e8

Characteristics of Life

There are five distinct qualities used to determine whether or not something is (or was) alive. A living organism is something that displays all these qualities. To be considered alive, something must:

Be made of materials organized in a hierarchical pattern.
Use energy and raw materials to survive.
Sense and respond to changing environments and maintain internal stability, or homeostasis.
Grow, develop and reproduce with the help of DNA.
Evolve.

The cell is the smallest unit that displays all of these characteristics. Because of this, living organisms are often identified based on whether or not they are made of cells. Nonliving things can show several of these characteristics. For example, a rock crystal can “grow” in a simple fashion. However, if even one of these conditions is not met (rock crystals do not reproduce with help from DNA), the object in question cannot be considered alive.