Biologists usually define 'life' as an entity that reproduces, responds to its environment, metabolizes chemicals, consumes energy, and grows.
    • SwampYankee@beehaw.orgEnglish
      1·
      2 years ago

      I guess if we find a compound that is made of 15+ molecules, even if those are molecules we typically wouldn’t associate with life, it’s a clue that it may likely be produced by a living system. It’s the complexity that’s the deciding factor, not whether it’s “organic” or not.