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Author Topic:   Definition of Life
Dr Jack
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Posts: 3514
From: Immigrant in the land of Deutsch
Joined: 07-14-2003
Member Rating: 8.7


Message 70 of 77 (560318)
05-14-2010 10:56 AM
Reply to: Message 69 by RAZD
05-13-2010 9:46 PM


Re: A Simple Definition of Life ...
The trouble with any definition of life that includes reproduction is that excludes the many examples of things we'd call alive but don't reproduce: the sterile, the elderly and the unlucky. So you end up having to be rub in a side order of "potential to reproduce" or "from a class that reproduces" which again muddy the issue and, even then, reproduction is, itself, not exactly a trivial concept to clearly define.

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 Message 69 by RAZD, posted 05-13-2010 9:46 PM RAZD has replied

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 Message 71 by RAZD, posted 05-14-2010 8:29 PM Dr Jack has not replied
 Message 72 by Modulous, posted 05-15-2010 12:04 PM Dr Jack has replied

  
Dr Jack
Member
Posts: 3514
From: Immigrant in the land of Deutsch
Joined: 07-14-2003
Member Rating: 8.7


Message 73 of 77 (560570)
05-16-2010 4:57 AM
Reply to: Message 72 by Modulous
05-15-2010 12:04 PM


Re: A Simple Definition of Life ...
When it comes to multicellular organisms the definition says it can be broadly applied to include growth/development (ie cells dying and new cells being generated). The elderly are still hotbeds of reproducing cells, even if they lack any viable germ line cells.
What definition is that? Including growth and simple cell replication in reproduction is a very non-standard notion of reproduction, indeed.

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 Message 72 by Modulous, posted 05-15-2010 12:04 PM Modulous has replied

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 Message 74 by Modulous, posted 05-16-2010 8:59 AM Dr Jack has not replied

  
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