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Organisms

Organisms are living beings that possess cellular structures and display functions that includes, but not limited to growth, reproduction, metabolism, and response to stimuli, ultimately exhibiting characteristics of life.

Origin / Etymology​

  The term "Organism" (from Greek ὀργανισμός, organismos, from ὄργανον, organon, i.e. "instrument, implement, tool, organ of sense or apprehension")1 first appeared in the English language in 1703 and took on its current definition by 1834 (Oxford English Dictionary). It is directly related to the term "organization". There is a long tradition of defining organisms as self-organizing beings, going back at least to Immanuel Kant's 1790 Critique of Judgment.2

Definition​

  Organism is defined as "a complex structure of interdependent and subordinate elements whose relations and properties are largely determined by their function in the whole", or "an individual constituted to carry on the activities of life by means of parts or organs more or less separate in function but mutually dependent"3 in English language.

Basic requirements to be an organism.​

  While, scientifically, an organism should have some kind of cellular structure, should have the ability to possess metabolic processes (Metabolism). should have the ability to maintain a stable internal environment despite external changes (Homeostasis), should have the ability to grow (Growth), should have the ability to reproduce (Reproduction), should have the ability to response to stimuli (Response to Stimuli).

Requirements======
Have cells Not neccessary
Have basic cellular strcuture True
Metabolism True
Homeostasis True
Growth True
Reproduction True
Response to Stimuli True

Viruses: Organism, or Non-cellular life​

caution

  We do recognize viruses as organisms in this database. Based on the very primary definition of organisms -- a living thing4. However, whether viruses are organisms is still under debate.

  Some people suggest that viruses are not typical organisms because they are incapable of autonomous reproduction, growth or metabolism.2 They argued that although some organisms are also incapable of independent survival and live as obligatory intracellular parasites, they are capable of independent metabolism and procreation. Although viruses have a few enzymes and molecules characteristic of living organisms, they have no metabolism of their own; they cannot synthesize and organize the organic compounds from which they are formed. Naturally, this rules out autonomous reproduction: they can only be passively replicated by the machinery of the host cell. In this sense, they are similar to inanimate matter.5

  Nevertheless, other people emphasize that viruses should be considered living entities, despite their reliance on host cells for survival and replication. They compare viruses to animal spermatozoa or ova, highlighting that many organisms, including animals and birds, depend on other species for sustenance in nature. Additionally, the presence of pathogen recognition patterns in all living organisms, including plants, suggests that viruses have been part of the evolutionary landscape since the origin of life. The rapid evolution and adaptability of viruses, as well as their ability to undergo constant mutations, further support their inclusion in the tree of life. The analogy drawn between computer viruses and biological viruses, as well as the comparison of plasmids to viruses, is also challenged. These arguments question the extent to which the definition of the tree of life should extend and suggest that life itself is derived from the assembly of non-living components.6

  While, we do recognize viruses as organisms because of the very primary definition of the term "organism", a living thing4. "Living" is defined as "alive now"7. As the viruses are aiming for stay alive, and reproduce, they should be validated to be organisms. Some authoritative material define viruses as organisms includes the Cambridge Dictionary, who defined organisms as "a single living plant, animal, virus, etc."8

Characteristics​

Have basic cellular structure​

  The cellular structure that we consider to be the most important, most primary, and most basic is the structure that contains genetic information, which are often RNA, or DNA. The structures except the genetic information structure are not considered to be basic cellular structure for us.

caution

This paragraph is very contentious, the opinions showed by this paragraph only represent our idea.

  While, some important, and common structures (organelles) are

  1. Liddell, Henry George, and Robert Scott. "[ὄργανον]." A Greek–English Lexicon at the Perseus Project. Perseus Digital Library, Tufts University, https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus:text:1999.04.0057:entry=o)/rganon.↩
  2. "Organisms", Wikipedia.com, Wikipedia, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organism. Accessed 12 Jul. 2023.↩
  3. “Organism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/organism. Accessed 12 Jul. 2023.↩
  4. "Organism." Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, Oxford University Press, https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/organism?q=organism. Accessed 13 Jul. 2023.↩
  5. Moreira, David, and Purificación López-García. “Ten reasons to exclude viruses from the tree of life.” Nature reviews. Microbiology vol. 7,4 (2009): 306-11. doi:10.1038/nrmicro2108↩
  6. Hegde, Nagendra R et al. “Reasons to include viruses in the tree of life.” Nature reviews. Microbiology vol. 7,8 (2009): 615; author reply 615. doi:10.1038/nrmicro2108-c1↩
  7. "Living." Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary, Oxford University Press, https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/living. Accessed 13 Jul. 2023.↩
  8. "Organism." Cambridge Dictionary, Cambridge University Press, https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/organism. Accessed 13 Jul. 2023.↩