Science is the systematic examining of the physical and chemical components and processes that make up the universe. This broad field is broken up into multiple fields of study. One of the primary fields of study in science is life science.
What Is Life Science?
Life science is the study of what it means to be "alive." The definition for "life," as provided by the Merriam-Webster diction is "an organismic state characterized by capacity for metabolism, growth, reaction to stimuli, and reproduction." When studying life science you will examine each of these components.
Metabolism
Metabolism is a chemical process that transforms raw materials into energy. While the generation of energy can be created by inorganic processes, organic metabolism is unique in that it is done in a somewhat controlled system that continuously takes specific raw materials, breaks them down into chemicals and initiates chemcial reactions in order to create energy that can be utilized by the cells in an organism to complete the functions that are required for life.
Growth
Growth is the process of adding on to a base. Growth can be related to every part of an organism from individual cells to complete organ systems. Growth is usually characterized by increased dimensions of cells, systems or a body. Growth occurs in systematic stages and ends at the death of a cell or of the organism. Growth is fueled by hormones and nutrition.
Reaction to Stimuli
While some of the characteristics of life can also be applied to inorganic elements, the reaction to stimuli is one that cannot. All life forms are able to react to a stimuli, even plants. Plants react to the position of the sun, to temperature changes and even to physical stimulation. They react by moving to face the sun, by opening its flower and by initiating chemical responses.
Animals react to stimuli in a more intelligent manner. Since they are not rooted to the ground, animals are able to move to investigate a stimuli or to move away from a stimuli. They can also touch, taste and visually inspect stimuli. Finally, they can change their behavior as a response to a stimuli.
Reproduction
The final characteristic of life is the ability to reproduce. Reproduction can be accomplished in several ways. The more advanced and complex the organism the more advanced and complex their reproductive means seem to be. For example, single cell organisms usually reproduce by cellular division. Mammals, on the other hand, reproduce sexually. Furthermore, humans utilize selective sexual reproduction, which means that they consciously control how many offspring they have and with whom they partner with to have offspring.
The exploration of life science starts with the study of microbes. Microbes science fair projects can be completed to get a deeper understanding of some of the smallest life forms on the planet. You can find more information about life science projects at Super Science Fair Projects.
