What distinguishes animate (living) from inanimate (non-living) objects?
This is not an easy question, largely because of the diversity of living things – no matter what definition you use, there will invariably be an exception. Collectively, life is best described by its shared attributes. These include: A. Life can be aesthetically understood and appreciated In other words, living things simply “look” alive. Example: rocks vs. fossils B. Life is diverse Although estimates of species diversity vary, we share the planet with at least 2 million, and as many as 30 million or more, other species. This include organisms from bacteria (Monera) to amoebas (Protista) to fungi (Fungi) to squid (Animalia) to oak trees (Plantae). Biologists currently recognize 3 major groups, or Domains, of organisms: Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya. The first two are prokaryotic (cells without a nucleus, no membrane bound structures within, genetic material in a circular loop), while the Eukarya, which includes plants, animals, fungi and protozoans, are eukaryotic (with a nucleus and
