Metabolic reactions can be demonstrated outside the body in cell-free systems. These isolated reactions are:
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: Living reactions but not living things
Isolated metabolic reactions in cell-free (in vitro) systems involve the same biochemical processes as in vivo reactions, so they qualify as 'living reactions.' However, because they lack cellular organization — the structural hallmark of life — they are not considered living things themselves.
Keep practicing
More What is living? questions
- Which level of organization is the point where the 'properties of life' first emerge?
- If we define growth as an increase in body mass, then non-living objects like mountains and sand mounds also grow. How is this growth diffe…
- The sum total of all chemical reactions occurring in our body is called:
- Which of the following is the most technically complicated and defining feature of all living organisms?
- Which organism is known to exhibit 'self-consciousness'?
- What happens to the properties of tissues that are not present in the constituent cells?