Basic properties of living matter. The property that distinguishes living matter from inanimate matter

The properties of living matter are useful to know, since this is what concerns each of us. And directly. After all, man - this is living matter, which is endowed with reason. However, this is an incomplete definition.

The concept of

Before you start to list the properties of living matter, it is worthwhile to understand the meaning of the term. A good option was proposed by Mikhail Vladimirovich Volkenstein, a Soviet biophysicist and chemist. He said that all the living bodies that exist on our planet are self-reproducing and self-regulating systems. And their main component is nucleic acids and proteins. So not only is man living matter. And also birds, marine life, mammals, etc. But man is a highly organized living matter, which from the rest is distinguished by special features and properties. And they would like to pay more attention.

Chemical composition

This is the first feature that should be noted with attention. And the simplest formal property that distinguishes living matter from the inanimate. They have completely different molecular composition and structure. All elements that make up living matter can form compounds and react.

The human and animal body includes water, organic and inorganic substances - calcium, magnesium, sodium, iron, zinc, hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, selenium, chromium, cobalt and many others in varying amounts. The simplest example is proteins and fats. They are in the human body, animals and even plants. And they are able to digest, assimilate, dry up. The opposite is oil. Naturally, this is an inanimate matter, which is a colloidal, and not a biological, system. And consists of oil from micelles - semi-solid clumps of high-molecular resins, carbenes and asphaltenes, which do not dissolve in liquid hydrocarbons.

Metabolism and self-regulation

This is another specific property of living matter. The metabolism, if expressed in simple language, is a set of chemical reactions that arise in the body to maintain its life. And self-regulation is the ability to maintain one's stability at a level that is constant. And the person most clearly manifests it. Since in the case of a person self-regulation is carried out not only at the biological level, but also on the sociological and psychological level.

And this is all natural. Man is able to control his mental state, to influence himself with words and mental images. Separately, there is an emotional self-regulation. It is the ability of a person to react to what has happened in the way that is customary in society, while retaining some kind of "flexibility". That is, he can allow the manifestation of spontaneous emotions, but he also gets to hide them. This is something higher, which is the control of one's own feelings.

Theoretical example. A man when he was traveling home on the bus, came SMS that he won a million rubles in the lottery. If he remained neutral and, only came to the apartment, began to jump with joy and enthusiastically thank fate, we can say that he owns emotional self-regulation.

Development and growth

It is impossible not to note these properties of living matter. In such a science as biology, growth is called an increase in the mass of the body, which occurs due to the increase in the noncellular formations and cell sizes. And development is directly related to this process. Sometimes even these two concepts are used, identifying themselves. Which is logical, because one or other stages of development can occur only after the body reaches a certain size. In this case, none of the above is impossible without metabolism.

Variability

This is what is accompanied by development and growth. It is important to take this fact into account. Because it can grow not only a person, a plant or an animal, but also a snowdrift or a crystal, for example. But only living matter can change. Strictly speaking, this is what evolution is all about. To recall at least the same theory of Darwin - a vivid example. Growth without changes is not possible, as the body, developing, adapts to the environment. Which is also changing.

The same process includes irritability. It is the ability of every living matter to react to the environment. And also the manifestation of the vital activity of all biological systems. Irritability is the main property of any living organism, be it a blade of grass or a human being. By the way, the minimum value of the stimulus is usually called the threshold of perception. And by the way, the manifestation of this property in many organisms has something in common. For example, a flower always "turns" towards the sun. A person, if he is cold outside, will also try to find a less shady place. And there are lots of such examples.

Reproduction

It is worth noting the attention and this factor, talking about the basic properties of living matter. The ability to reproduce (reproduce) provides some kind of relative immortality. And it is difficult to refute this statement, because we are an obvious example. Currently, about 7.3 billion people live on Earth. But in October 1999 there were 6 billion. For 17 years, the population has increased by a billion! будет существовать очень долго (если не вечно). So the species Homo sapiens will exist for a very long time (if not forever).

True, there are species that have already become extinct, to the great regret. For example, a quagga. This is a single-hoofed animal, which was considered a species of zebras. The Quaggies were tamed by man and used to guard the herds. The last representative died in 1883 at the Amsterdam Zoo. Today, many animals are on the verge of extinction, and that their disappearance does not occur, they must actively self-reproduce, that is, to perform one of the functions of living matter.

On heredity

Talking about the basic properties of living matter, we can not fail to note this aspect. The way the organism will be depends on heredity. And the part is "laid" in it directly. A simple example is the color of the eyes. If a man's iris is blue, like his wife's, the probability that a pair of brown-eyed baby is born, tends to zero. The green has more "chances" - 1%. All other percentages go to blue. But, by the way, if both parents are brown-eyed, then the probability is distributed differently. 75% - that the child will have the same color. But there is a probability of 18.75% of the birth of a baby with green eyes. The blue has the least chance - 6.25%. However, this is another topic, but the principle is clear. Heredity is what enters into the most important properties of living matter.

About levels

So, based on all of the above, you can understand what biological nature is. This is a complex system. And in it there are levels of organization of living matter. The table consists of several items-characteristics.

So, the first. Molecular level. This is what was said initially. That is, the manifestation of the interaction of micromolecules, such as polysaccharides, nucleic acids, etc.

The second level is cellular. Like any form of life. After all, a cell is not just a structural unit, but also a functional unit for the reproduction of organisms.

The next level on which we will stop is the organism. It is preceded by tissue and organ. Here the principle is clear. An organism is a living system consisting of a number of cells. Take, for example, plankton. This is a unicellular algae. But a living organism. A man consists of about 100 trillion cells. And he is also a living organism. The essence is one, the composition is different. This proves the levels of organization of living matter.

The table also contains other concepts. There is also a population-specific level. It includes collections of individuals that have a common origin and are similar in structure and functional organization.

The last levels are biogeocenotic and biospheric. They are the most ambitious. The biogeocenotic includes organisms of varying complexity and habitats. And to the biosphere - all the aggregates and manifestations of life that exist on our planet.

Psychic

This property of highly organized living matter. This aspect has already been stipulated earlier. But now you should give him a little more attention.

Why is the psyche peculiar only to people and animals? Because it implies the experience of emotions and sensations, as well as the presence of memory and perception. Of course, maybe our smaller brothers are not able to reflect on the meaning of being, the existence of God and the destiny of our planet. But they feel pain, fear, calmness, fatigue and much more - like us. That is, they too are able to reflect the objective reality, interact with it.

This property of living highly organized matter also includes notorious irritability, sensitivity, behavior and consciousness. And if the first three qualities are inherent in both man and animal, then only we are the last. In any case, the opposite has not yet been proved. Consciousness is a collection of certain images (stable or changing) that are formed in the process of life. Which, in fact, form an individual worldview.

Discreteness

Or, in other words, what is opposed to continuity and integrity. Discreteness is the universal property of matter. And it is inherent in any biological system. Since absolutely everything (be it an organism, a population or even a cell) consists of a multitude of particles. They are separate, but they constantly interact with one another. And form, therefore, a single, integrated system.

The concept of discreteness is easy to explain with the example of the same human body. It consists of a variety of organs, tissues, tendons, cells, vessels. Which in aggregate and form our body. Without one thing, he can not fully exist.

Negentropy

This aspect is also included in the properties of living matter. In short, this is the same as order. Without which there can be no discreteness (if we talk about biology). Here everything is simple. All living systems create order and form a structure. Again, our blood circulation is a vivid example. Which, by the way, provides the notorious metabolism. Circulation is the most complicated process that occurs in the cardiovascular closed system. And this process is signed by specialists for several pages. It happens all the time, every second - a person (or any other creature) does not even think about it. All because our body is a living system that formed this structure, a complex complex processes.

Mobility

This is the last thing I would like to note with attention, telling about the fundamental fundamental properties of living matter. Mobility is characteristic of every being. It implies the ability to move, which is necessary for everyone. The same flower - to turn to the sun. Due to mobility, every living creature can find food, get out of an unfavorable situation, evolve or find a breeding pair (be it lions, people or birds). Do not underestimate the motor function. After all, it is needed not only for the body as a whole, but for its parts as well. Needless to say, even if our organs and cells show a certain activity: the blood circulates, the heart beats, the lungs contract. And the notorious plankton moves at the expense of tiny flagella. No wonder they say that the movement is life. This statement is true, because everything that exists in the world and is called living is in constant motion. If you think about it, you can understand: it really is.

Well, after studying what properties are inherent in living matter, we can make an unambiguous conclusion. All of the above is closely related. As for the manifestation and maintenance of the vital functions of the body. One is impossible without the other. And only thinking about this topic and correlating everything with real examples, you can understand how thoroughly everything is carefully thought out by nature.