What are the basic units of life?

What are the basic units of life?

• A. Cells
• B. Tissues
• C. Organs
• D. Molecules

Answer: (A)

Cells are the smallest units capable of performing all the processes that define living things: metabolism, growth, response to the environment, and reproduction. This idea is the basis of cell theory, which states that all organisms are made of cells and that a cell is the basic unit of structure and function in life. Inside cells, the machinery and molecules work together to carry out these life processes, with genetic material guiding them. Molecules by themselves aren’t alive and can’t carry out life functions independently, while tissues and organs are larger assemblies of cells that work together—higher levels of organization rather than the smallest unit of life. Some organisms are single cells, but in all cases, the cell is the fundamental unit of life.

Cells are the smallest units capable of performing all the processes that define living things: metabolism, growth, response to the environment, and reproduction. This idea is the basis of cell theory, which states that all organisms are made of cells and that a cell is the basic unit of structure and function in life. Inside cells, the machinery and molecules work together to carry out these life processes, with genetic material guiding them. Molecules by themselves aren’t alive and can’t carry out life functions independently, while tissues and organs are larger assemblies of cells that work together—higher levels of organization rather than the smallest unit of life. Some organisms are single cells, but in all cases, the cell is the fundamental unit of life.