One time, a third year student of mine just collapsed and it got the whole class frantic. As her classmates laid her on a long chair, her classmates asked, “Sir, buhay pa s’ya (Is she still alive?)?”
Catherine (her name) looked pale, and so, what did I tell them that she was still alive at the time? “She’s breathing, can’t you see?”. In breathing, we are actually bringing oxygen to our cells so they continue to undergo METABOLISM. Only the living can perform metabolism, which involves the chemical reactions (like the food we eat plus oxygen) to generate energy. So what are other signs of life? Here they are.
2. GROWTH. Organisms grow by increasing the number of cells by cell division. The nonliving cannot do this.
3. REPRODUCTION. Living things reproduce by producing offspring, generation after generation. This is done sexually or asexually.
4. IRRITABILITY or RESPONSIVENESS. Ever touched makahiya? The leaves close when touched. This is a form of response to stimulus (like touch, heat, etc..)
So the next time you would want to know if there’s still life, simply look for its vital signs.
