short essay on living things

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Characteristics of living things.

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When you look at the world around you, how do you categorise or group what you see? One of the broadest groupings is 'living' and 'non-living'. This may sound simple, but it is sometimes difficult to decide whether something is truly alive or not. Here we look at the characteristics of living things – using earthworms as an example.

All living things share life processes such as growth and reproduction. Most scientists use seven life processes or characteristics to determine whether something is living or non-living.

The table below describes seven characteristics of most living things and contains references to earthworms to explain why we can definitely say that they are 'living'.

Further classification

Based on the information above, we can confidently categorise earthworms as living things as they carry out all seven life processes.

It is now possible to classify them further into a series of hierarchical categories: kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus and species. Classifying living things into these categories is an important way for scientists to show how living things are related to each other. Most scientists classify living things into one of the following six kingdoms.

Bacteria are single-celled microorganisms that don’t have a nuclear membrane.
Protozoans are single-celled organisms that are generally much larger than bacteria. They may be autotrophic or heterotrophic.
Chromists are a diverse group of plant-like organisms and range from very small to very large. They are found in almost all environments.
Fungi are multicellular and rely on breaking down organic material as they are not able to make their own food.
Plants are multicellular and autotrophic – they use photosynthesis to produce food using sunlight.
Animals are multicellular. They are heterotrophic and rely on other organisms for food.

Which kingdom do you think earthworms belong to?

Animal characteristics

What did you decide? Sometimes people are surprised to find out that earthworms are actually animals – the same kingdom as humans, cats, dogs, dolphins and spiders! Just as living things share a set of common characteristics, animals have key characteristics that can help you to decide whether a living thing is an animal or not.

Key characteristics of animals include the following:

They obtain energy by consuming other organisms (we say they are 'heterotrophic').
They are able to physically move their bodies about at one or more stages of their life cycle.
Their bodies are made up of multiple cells.
Sexual reproduction occurs - a sperm and an egg cell combine to produce an embryo that grows into a juvenile animal.

Nature of science

Scientists need scientific vocabulary to communicate effectively. At an even more fundamental level, scientific language actually helps shape ideas and provides the means for constructing scientific understandings and explanations.

Activity idea

Students can explore their ideas about the characteristics of living things with this graphic organizer, Living or non-living?

Useful link

Visit the Science Continuum website from the Australian education website (Victoria Department of Education and Training) for more information about common student alternative conceptions related to living things and classification.

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1.7: Themes and Concepts of Biology - Properties of Life

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Learning Objectives

Describe the properties of life

All living organisms share several key characteristics or functions: order, sensitivity or response to the environment, reproduction, growth and development, regulation, homeostasis, and energy processing. When viewed together, these eight characteristics serve to define life.

Organisms are highly organized, coordinated structures that consist of one or more cells. Even very simple, single-celled organisms are remarkably complex: inside each cell, atoms make up molecules; these in turn make up cell organelles and other cellular inclusions. In multicellular organisms, similar cells form tissues. Tissues, in turn, collaborate to create organs (body structures with a distinct function). Organs work together to form organ systems.

Sensitivity or Response to Stimuli

Organisms can respond to diverse stimuli. For example, plants can grow toward a source of light, climb on fences and walls, or respond to touch. Even tiny bacteria can move toward or away from chemicals (a process called chemotaxis) or light (phototaxis). Movement toward a stimulus is considered a positive response, while movement away from a stimulus is considered a negative response.

Reproduction

Single-celled organisms reproduce by first duplicating their DNA. They then divide it equally as the cell prepares to divide to form two new cells. Multicellular organisms often produce specialized reproductive germline cells that will form new individuals. When reproduction occurs, genes containing DNA are passed along to an organism’s offspring. These genes ensure that the offspring will belong to the same species and will have similar characteristics, such as size and shape.

Growth and Development

All organisms grow and develop following specific instructions coded for by their genes. These genes provide instructions that will direct cellular growth and development, ensuring that a species’ young will grow up to exhibit many of the same characteristics as its parents.

Even the smallest organisms are complex and require multiple regulatory mechanisms to coordinate internal functions, respond to stimuli, and cope with environmental stresses. Two examples of internal functions regulated in an organism are nutrient transport and blood flow. Organs (groups of tissues working together) perform specific functions, such as carrying oxygen throughout the body, removing wastes, delivering nutrients to every cell, and cooling the body.

Homeostasis

In order to function properly, cells need to have appropriate conditions such as proper temperature, pH, and appropriate concentration of diverse chemicals. These conditions may, however, change from one moment to the next. Organisms are able to maintain internal conditions within a narrow range almost constantly, despite environmental changes, through homeostasis (literally, “steady state”)—the ability of an organism to maintain constant internal conditions. For example, an organism needs to regulate body temperature through a process known as thermoregulation. Organisms that live in cold climates, such as the polar bear, have body structures that help them withstand low temperatures and conserve body heat. Structures that aid in this type of insulation include fur, feathers, blubber, and fat. In hot climates, organisms have methods (such as perspiration in humans or panting in dogs) that help them to shed excess body heat.

Energy Processing

All organisms use a source of energy for their metabolic activities. Some organisms capture energy from the sun and convert it into chemical energy in food; others use chemical energy in molecules they take in as food.

As a population of organisms interacts with the environment, individuals with traits that contribute to reproduction and survival in that particular environment will leave more offspring. Over time those advantageous traits (called adaptations ) will become more common in the population. This process, change over time, is called evolution, and it is one of the processes that explain the diverse species seen in biology. Adaptations help organisms survive in their ecological niches, and adaptive traits may be structural, behavioral, or physiological; as such, adaptations frequently involve other properties of organisms such as homeostasis, reproduction, and growth and development.

Order can include highly organized structures such as cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems.
Interaction with the environment is shown by response to stimuli.
The ability to reproduce, grow and develop are defining features of life.
The concepts of biological regulation and maintenance of homeostasis are key to survival and define major properties of life.
Organisms use energy to maintain their metabolic processes.
Populations of organisms evolve to produce individuals that are adapted to their specific environment.
phototaxis : The movement of an organism either towards or away from a source of light
gene : a unit of heredity; the functional units of chromosomes that determine specific characteristics by coding for specific proteins
chemotaxis : the movement of a cell or an organism in response to a chemical stimulant

Different Ecosystems and Living Things Essay

Introduction, living and nonliving things, types of ecosystems.

An ecosystem is a community of living organisms that interact with nonliving elements in the same environment. Biotic and abiotic components of an ecosystem are interconnected through nutrient cycles and energy exchange. Studying and describing ecosystem processes helps to identify the most important species and expose underlying mechanisms. This essay will emphasize the significance of biodiversity and examine three different ecosystems. The characteristics of living and nonliving things will also be compared and contrasted.

From a biological standpoint, all living things display seven characteristics: movement, respiration, sensitivity, growth, reproduction, excretion, and nutrition (Starr, Taggart, & Evers, 2018). To clarify how these characteristics exactly apply to living organisms, a reference to an earthworm will be given. Earthworms contract circular and longitudinal muscles to move through the soil (movement) and escape the environment that poses a threat to their lives with the help of chemical-sensitive skin cells (sensitivity). This species feeds on manure, compost, fungi, and microorganisms (nutrition) and gets rid of the waste through the last body segment once everything is digested (excretion). The food supplies an earthworm’s body with energy-rich nutrients (respiration) and allows for a gradual growth up to one meter in length (growth). Earthworms are hermaphrodites but still have to mate to lay eggs (reproduction). Nonliving things might possess one or two of these characteristics but never display all of them.

Three notions are instrumental in understanding ecosystems: habitat, population, and community. Habitat is the living environment; the population is all the living organisms within a habitat, and community is the organisms that interact with each other (Starr et al., 2018). The descriptions of the three ecosystems below will focus on describing the habitat and the community. There are many more ecosystems in the world; however, those three were chosen for their striking differences.

Forest ecosystems . A forest is a terrestrial environment dominated by closely spaced trees that grow in a canopy. The members of each forest ecosystem community depend on each other for survival and can be assigned the following roles: producers, primary, secondary, and tertiary consumers, and decomposers. In a forest, producers are plants that can convert solar energy through photosynthesis. They usually grow in four levels (emergent, canopy, understory, and floor) with each level characterized by its access to sunlight. Primary consumers are herbivores and beasts of prey, for instance, for in the Amazon, it could be capybara and red howler monkey. Secondary and tertiary consumers feed on primary consumers and are typical carnivores. For instance, jaguars both prey on the primary (plant-eating birds) and secondary consumers (meat-eating caimans). Lastly, decomposers help dead plants and animals break down, returning the nutrients to the soil and letting plants, the producers, grow and prosper.

Desert ecosystems . Desert ecosystems are somewhat unique since the unusually dry climate made plants and animals evolve to survive in such harsh conditions. The defining factor that impacts relationships between all members and components is the limited amount of rainfall. The plant life is not as luscious as in a forest, but it exists. Such common desert plants as gourds, cacti, and dates store water, which helps primary consumers quench their thirst. Camel is a prime example of a primary consumer, feeding on grasses and low-growing shrubs. Secondary and tertiary consumers are foxes, hawks, snakes, owls, and roadrunners. Large decomposers typically prefer moist areas, so in a desert, this role is primarily played by bacteria.

Marine ecosystems . The marine ecosystem is an aquatic environment with high salt contents. Out of all the types of ecosystems on Earth, marine ecosystems are prevailing. As of now, scientists distinguish between six subtypes of marine ecosystems:

Open marine ecosystems (open ocean and its upper layer);
Ocean floor ecosystems;
Coral reef ecosystems;
Estuary (sheltered area of a river mouth);
Saltwater wetland estuary (transition area between land and sea);
Mangroves (saltwater swamps).

The unity and diversity of an ecosystem will further be explained using the example of coral reef ecosystems. These ecosystems are not homogenous: for instance, the Great Barrier Reef includes as many as fourteen subtypes, so the following statements are generalizations. Producers include zooxanthellae, seaweed, coralline algae, marine worms, algae, plankton, and sponges. Zooplankton, mollusks, starfish, and smaller fish are primary consumers while larger reef fishes such as parrotfish and surgeonfish are secondary consumers. Large organisms such as reef sharks feed on secondary consumers. Fan worms, snails, bristle worms, and bacteria decompose dead bodies to enrich the ocean soil with nutrients.

Ecosystems are interconnected communities within a particular habitat that include both living (growing, reproducing, digesting, excreting, and so on) and nonliving things. Each community is characterized by environmental factors such as climate and food chains consisting of producers, consumers, and decomposers. Regardless of the type, producers are typically plants, consumers are those feeding on plants and herbivore animals, and decomposers are organisms breaking down dead bodies.

Starr, C., Taggart, R., & Evers, C. (2018). Biology: The unity and diversity of life (15th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

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IvyPanda. (2022, January 15). Different Ecosystems and Living Things. https://ivypanda.com/essays/different-ecosystems-and-living-things/

"Different Ecosystems and Living Things." IvyPanda , 15 Jan. 2022, ivypanda.com/essays/different-ecosystems-and-living-things/.

IvyPanda . (2022) 'Different Ecosystems and Living Things'. 15 January.

IvyPanda . 2022. "Different Ecosystems and Living Things." January 15, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/different-ecosystems-and-living-things/.

1. IvyPanda . "Different Ecosystems and Living Things." January 15, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/different-ecosystems-and-living-things/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Different Ecosystems and Living Things." January 15, 2022. https://ivypanda.com/essays/different-ecosystems-and-living-things/.

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Module 1: Introduction to Biology

Levels of organization of living things, learning outcomes.

Order the levels of organization of living things

Living things are highly organized and structured, following a hierarchy that can be examined on a scale from small to large. The atom is the smallest and most fundamental unit of matter. It consists of a nucleus surrounded by electrons. Atoms form molecules. A molecule is a chemical structure consisting of at least two atoms held together by one or more chemical bonds. Many molecules that are biologically important are macromolecules , large molecules that are typically formed by polymerization (a polymer is a large molecule that is made by combining smaller units called monomers, which are simpler than macromolecules). An example of a macromolecule is deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) (Figure 1), which contains the instructions for the structure and functioning of all living organisms.

Figure 1. All molecules, including this DNA molecule, are composed of atoms. (credit: “brian0918″/Wikimedia Commons)

Some cells contain aggregates of macromolecules surrounded by membranes; these are called organelles . Organelles are small structures that exist within cells. Examples of organelles include mitochondria and chloroplasts, which carry out indispensable functions: mitochondria produce energy to power the cell, while chloroplasts enable green plants to utilize the energy in sunlight to make sugars. All living things are made of cells; the cell itself is the smallest fundamental unit of structure and function in living organisms. (This requirement is why viruses are not considered living: they are not made of cells. To make new viruses, they have to invade and hijack the reproductive mechanism of a living cell; only then can they obtain the materials they need to reproduce.) Some organisms consist of a single cell and others are multicellular. Cells are classified as prokaryotic or eukaryotic. Prokaryotes are single-celled or colonial organisms that do not have membrane-bound nuclei or organelles; in contrast, the cells of eukaryotes do have membrane-bound organelles and a membrane-bound nucleus.

In larger organisms, cells combine to make tissues , which are groups of similar cells carrying out similar or related functions. Organs are collections of tissues grouped together performing a common function. Organs are present not only in animals but also in plants. An organ system is a higher level of organization that consists of functionally related organs. Mammals have many organ systems. For instance, the circulatory system transports blood through the body and to and from the lungs; it includes organs such as the heart and blood vessels. Organisms are individual living entities. For example, each tree in a forest is an organism. Single-celled prokaryotes and single-celled eukaryotes are also considered organisms and are typically referred to as microorganisms.

All the individuals of a species living within a specific area are collectively called a population . For example, a forest may include many pine trees. All of these pine trees represent the population of pine trees in this forest. Different populations may live in the same specific area. For example, the forest with the pine trees includes populations of flowering plants and also insects and microbial populations. A community is the sum of populations inhabiting a particular area. For instance, all of the trees, flowers, insects, and other populations in a forest form the forest’s community. Keep in mind that the community level only consists of living organisms. The forest itself is an ecosystem; this is the first level that contains non-living aspects of a given area that impact the living things in that environment. An ecosystem consists of all the living things in a particular area together with the abiotic, non-living parts of that environment such as nitrogen in the soil or rain water. At the highest level of organization (Figure 2), the biosphere is the collection of all ecosystems, and it represents the zones of life on earth. It includes land, water, and even the atmosphere to a certain extent.

Practice Question

From a single organelle to the entire biosphere, living organisms are parts of a highly structured hierarchy.

A flow chart shows the hierarchy of living organisms. From smallest to largest, this hierarchy includes: (1) Organelles, such as nuclei, that exist inside cells. (2) Cells, such as a red blood cell. (3) Tissues, such as human skin tissue. (4) Organs such as the stomach make up the human digestive system, an example of an organ system. (5) Organisms, populations, and communities. In a forest, each pine tree is an organism. Together, all the pine trees make up a population. All the plant and animal species in the forest comprise a community. (6) Ecosystems: the coastal ecosystem in the Southeastern United States includes living organisms and the environment in which they live. (7) The biosphere: encompasses all the ecosystems on Earth.

Figure 2. The biological levels of organization of living things are shown. From a single organelle to the entire biosphere, living organisms are parts of a highly structured hierarchy. (credit “organelles”: modification of work by Umberto Salvagnin; credit “cells”: modification of work by Bruce Wetzel, Harry Schaefer/ National Cancer Institute; credit “tissues”: modification of work by Kilbad; Fama Clamosa; Mikael Häggström; credit “organs”: modification of work by Mariana Ruiz Villareal; credit “organisms”: modification of work by “Crystal”/Flickr; credit “ecosystems”: modification of work by US Fish and Wildlife Service Headquarters; credit “biosphere”: modification of work by NASA)

Which of the following statements is false?

Tissues exist within organs, which exist within organ systems.
Communities exist within populations, which exist within ecosystems.
Organelles exist within cells, which exist within tissues.
Communities exist within ecosystems, which exist in the biosphere.
Biology 2e. Provided by : OpenStax. Located at : http://cnx.org/contents/[email protected] . License : CC BY: Attribution . License Terms : Access for free at https://openstax.org/books/biology-2e/pages/1-introduction

Living things

Living things n., singular: living thing [ˈlɪvɪŋ θɪŋ] Definition: any organism or a life form that possesses or shows the characteristics of life or being alive

Table of Contents

Living Things Definition

A living thing pertains to any organism or a life form that possesses or shows the characteristics of life or being alive. The fundamental characteristics are as follows: having an organized structure, requiring energy, responding to stimuli and adapting to environmental changes, and being capable of reproduction, growth, movement, metabolism, and death. Currently, living things are classified into three Domains: (Eu)Bacteria (true bacteria), Archaea (archaebacteria), and Eucarya ( eukaryotes ).

Etymology: The term living came from the Old English lifende , meaning “living” or “having life”. The term thing came from the Old English þing , meaning “entity”, “being”, “body”, or “matter”. Synonyms: organism; life form; creature.

While Earth is presumed to be about 4.54 billion years old , life on Earth began later, probably around 3.5 billion years ago , although others believe that life may have started earlier than that.

Abiogenesis

The origin of life, also referred to as abiogenesis , refers to the natural process in which life came about from non-living matter or lifeless objects. How this occurred remains a matter of debate among scientists. Till now, there is no consensus as to how life on Earth began.

Primordial soup

The “primordial soup” refers to the hypothetical model of the primitive Earth wherein it accumulated organic material and water resembling a soup . This soup served as a site where organic compounds were synthesized. A widely-accepted research finding is that of the Miller–Urey experiment. Apparently, the simulated-primitive Earth favored the chemical syntheses of the basic structure of the cell membrane (e.g. phospholipids forming lipid bilayers) and organic compounds from inorganic sources. The primordial soup is also the edict of the heterotrophic theory of the origin of life proposed by Alexander Oparin and John Burdon Sanderson Haldane.

RNA world hypothesis

The transition from non-living to living entities may have occurred gradually. One of the popular theories held today is the RNA world hypothesis , which suggests that primordial life was based on RNA because it can act as both genetic material and catalyst. This RNA-based life could have served as the descendants of the current life on Earth.

The building blocks of RNA and DNA may have originated and formed in the asteroids from outer space and then reached the Earth through meteorites. According to NASA, they found RNA and DNA nucleobases such as adenine and guanine in meteorites. (1) These nucleobases could have led to the spontaneous creation of RNA and DNA.

These organic molecules might have been used by the first life forms to live and propagate. The earliest life forms might be the single-celled organisms that came into existence near the end of Hadean Eon or early in the Archean Eon. This is based on the discovery of graphite of biogenic origin in Western Greenland which was estimated to be 3.7 billion years old . (2) Organisms lacking membrane-bound organelles were likely the first living entities to have dominated the Earth. They are referred to as prokaryotes , a group comprised of bacteria and archaea.

Forum Question: Is DNA living or non-living thing ? Featured Answer !

Endosymbiotic theory

The endosymbiotic theory posits that endosymbiosis between a larger cell and a prokaryote led to the first photosynthetic eukaryote. Based on this theory, the larger eukaryote might have engulfed prokaryotes that over time transformed into semi-autonomous organelles, such as chloroplasts and mitochondria inside the cell.

Multicellularity

Multicellular life probably began 600 million years ago and occurred several times in biological history. The most popular theory on the origin of multicellularity is Haeckel’s Gastraea Theory . Accordingly, multicellularity first occurred when cells of the same species group together in a blastula-like colony. Gradually, certain cells in the colony underwent cell differentiation. However, this theory is still inadequate in explaining the origin of multicellularity.

Ediacaran biota comprised of single-celled and multicellular organisms existed in the Ediacaran period, around 600 million years ago. In this biota , the earliest animals first appeared. They resemble sponges with sizes ranging from 1 cm to less than 1m. (3)

Cambrian explosion

Around 541 million years ago , a sudden burst of life occurred in the Cambrian period. This is referred to as the Cambrian explosion . Diverse plants and animals came into being. In the late Cambrian or Early Ordovician period, animals began to venture into the land. With the evolution of land plants, the animals, too, evolved and diversified. Eventually, they colonized terrestrial habitats, including farther inland.

Current population

In May 2016, the estimated total number of species on Earth is about 1 trillion. (4) In 2011, the Census of Marine Life estimated about 8.7 million eukaryote species on Earth. (5) Unfortunately, many of the living things (probably over five billion species) that ever lived on Earth became extinct.

Watch this vid about the origin of life on Earth:

Classification

Living things were initially classified as either a plant or an animal . While both animals and plants are eukaryotic, they are distinguished based on their defining characteristics, e.g. in terms of motility, mode of nutrition, and cellular features. Animals, basically, are living things that are motile and heterotrophic whereas plants are those that are non-motile, photosynthetic, autotrophic (i.e., capable of producing their own food), and have a cell wall. However, bacteria and archaea are neither plants nor animals mainly because they are prokaryotes (i.e. lacking in membrane-bound cytoplasmic organelles, including the nucleus ).

As for the distinction between bacteria and archaea, one of their differences lies in RNA polymerase. In archaea , it has ten subunits. In bacteria, it has four. Another example is the composition of the cell wall. The archaeal cell wall lacks peptidoglycan whereas the bacterial cell wall has.

At present, the modern biological taxonomy entails the classification of living things into three domains: (1) domain Eukarya , (2) domain Bacteria , and (3) domain Archaea. A biological domain is the highest taxonomic rank of organisms according to Carl Woese’s 3-domain system of taxonomy. Below the domain are seven major taxonomic ranks. In descending order, they are as follows:

Domain » Kingdom » Phylum » Class » Order » Family » Genus » Species

Domain Eukarya includes all living things that are eukaryotic. These include animals, plants, fungi, algae, and protists. They possess membrane-bound organelles within their cells.

Characteristics of Living Things

Living things are organisms that show the characteristics of being alive. What separates living things from non-living things is the following characteristics:

An organized structure

Living things are organized structures. It may be a single-celled such as a bacterial cell, or multicellular such as animals and plants that are made up of several cells. A cell is the fundamental biological unit of an organism . Various cellular processes are carried out by the cell in an orchestrated, systematized manner. A cell consists of protoplasm surrounded by a plasma membrane . Cytoplasmic structures (e.g. organelles ), each with specific roles and functions, are suspended in the cell’s cytosol .

In multicellular organisms, their body is made up of cells, which are organized into tissues. The tissues , in turn, are organized into biological organs and systems . These structures, although with distinct functions, work together in a coordinated fashion. Thus, an organism, whether it is made up of one or more cells, is an assembly from a systematic, coherent design.

Energy-requiring

Living things require energy for survival. Energy is essential as it fuels numerous metabolic activities of a cell. One way that living organisms synthesize energy is by photosynthesis where light energy is converted into chemical energy. Another is by cellular respiration wherein biochemical energy is harvested from an organic substance (e.g. glucose ) and, then, stored in an energy-carrying biomolecule such as ATP for later use.

Reproductive capacity

A living thing is capable of reproducing. There are two ways by which living things can reproduce copies of themselves: sexual reproduction and asexual reproduction. In sexual reproduction , male and female sex cells of the two parents unite and form a zygote that will develop eventually into a being of their own kind. Asexual reproduction , in contrast, is a mode of reproduction that does not involve the fertilization of gametes or sex cells. The offspring comes from only one parent. Examples include binary fission , budding , vegetative propagation , sporogenesis , fragmentation , parthenogenesis , apomixis , and nucellar embryony .

Living things grow. At the cellular level , growth may refer to an increase in number or to an increase in size . The increase in the number of cells is through cell division . The stem cells of animals and the meristematic cells of plants divide to give rise to new living cells. As for the increase in cell size, it is attributed often to the increase in cytoplasmic mass.

The cell undergoes a series of phases in the cell cycle . Most of the time, the new cell produced by mitosis undergoes interphase . It is the phase in the cell cycle wherein the cell grows in size. Unless fully differentiated, the cell could replicate its DNA to prepare for the next cell division. In plants, new cells increase in volume by taking in and storing water inside a vacuole .

Some of the plant cells grow a secondary cell wall between the primary cell wall and the plasma membrane. At the tissue level , growth in vascular plants is of two types: primary and secondary. Primary growth entails vertical growth as primary xylem forms from the procambium whereas secondary growth is associated with lateral growth caused by the formation of secondary xylem from the vascular cambium.

In higher forms of animals, the growth of tissues follows a pattern and is genetically predetermined. Regeneration capacities are not as indefinite as those in plants. The extent of regeneration varies among species. For instance, salamanders can regenerate new eyes or new limbs whereas humans cannot. Nevertheless, humans are also capable of regenerating certain parts of their body, such as skin and parts of the liver .

Forum Question: What are the advantages and disadvantages of being a large organism ? Featured Answer !

A living thing metabolizes. Metabolism refers to the various life processes that are responsible for the keeping up of the living state of a cell or an organism. Examples of those involved in cell growth, respiration, reproduction, response to stimuli, sustenance, biomolecular syntheses, waste elimination, and other homeostatic processes.

There are two forms of metabolism: catabolism and anabolism . In catabolism , living things carry out degradative chemical reactions that lead to the breaking down of complex molecules into smaller units and obtain energy that is released from the process. In anabolism , energy-driven chemical reactions build molecules from smaller units.

Homeostasis

Living things tend to adjust to achieve a stable internal environment. They possess dynamic mechanisms (positive and negative feedback loops) that control and orchestrate biological systems in order to stay within the range of favorable or ideal internal conditions. Thermoregulation, osmoregulation, calcium homeostasis, and potassium homeostasis are just a few of the multifarious homeostatic processes vital to life. Achieving balance is crucial to the proper functioning and survival of an individual.

Responsive to stimuli

Living things respond to stimuli and adapt to environmental changes. A living organism can detect changes in the environment, especially by cells that function as receptors. For instance, humans have five fundamental senses: sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste. Other senses are the vestibular sense (detects body movement, direction, and acceleration), sense for thermoception, kinesthetic sense (detects body part positions), internal sense (interoception), and so on. Apart from detecting changes in its surroundings, it can also adapt to these changes.

Adaptation and Evolution

Living things adapt and have the capacity to evolve. The ability of organisms to respond accordingly to changes in their environment enables them to adapt over time. This means the species has eventually acquired the trait that is functional, beneficial, and heritable . This, in turn, could lead to the gradual change and diversification of organisms across generations where species possess distinctive features driven by natural selection — an indication of evolution .

A living thing moves. Since a living thing can detect stimuli from its surroundings, it can respond accordingly. For example, animals move to forage, escape predators, and seek a potential mate. While animals can move at will, plants have a rather limited form of movement, referred to as nastic movement (e.g. thigmonasty , nyctinasty ).

Living things die. A living thing has life and this life ends eventually. At a certain point in the typical life cycle of organisms, there will come a time wherein an individual starts to experience a gradual decline in physical robustness, function, and capacity. This marks the period of senescence.

Senescence refers to biological aging. It is when living things gradually deteriorate over the course of their life. The organism gradually loses its ability to function and deal with stressors. As such, it becomes more vulnerable to diseases and dysfunction. At the cellular level, the cell no longer divides although it may still be metabolically active. One of the natural causes of cellular senescence is the shortening of telomeres leading to DNA damage. Conversely, some living beings are regarded as immortal because they seem to circumvent death. Examples include the age-reversing jellyfish Turritopsis doohmii , the regenerating flatworms , and the seemingly indestructible tardigrades. Thus, different species could have variations in their life stages. While some organisms have shorter life stages, others have longer lifespans owing to the complexity of their growth and development.

Non-cellular life

Are viruses living things? This question has sparked major debate among biologists for so long. Some would consider viruses as living things since they appear to be alive when they are inside their host. They possess genetic material, replicate themselves, and evolve by natural selection. However, others do not take them as living things because they are essentially dead when outside their host. Viruses cannot reproduce independently.

They rely on the host cell’s machinery to do so. Thus, viruses are not absolutely living or non-living. When outside their host, viruses are inactive and seemingly inanimate. When inside their host, they became active, capable of utilizing the host cell ‘s structures and replicating. Viroids are another group that seems to be a non-cellular life. They are infectious and pathogenic short strands of circular, single-stranded RNA.

The study of living things is called biology (also called biological science). An expert in this field is called a biologist . Several areas of biological studies include morphology , anatomy , cytology , histology , physiology , ecology , evolution , taxonomy , and pathology.

“Living things that mimic non-living things”

One of the distinctive features of a living thing is its ability to adapt . Some organisms, though, have leveled up a notch by possessing the ability to “mimic” their surroundings. Because of such an astounding deceptive strategy to “hide”, these organisms can trick others into believing they are non-living things when, in fact, they are alive. Here are some of them!

Lithops sp. also known as “living stones” may look like rocks but they’re actually a group of succulent plants.

Watch out! This venomous stonefish can look like a stone or rock.

Flounders matching the sandy or rocky substrate on the ocean floor

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Non-living thing
NASA – NASA Researchers: DNA Building Blocks Can Be Made in Space . (2011, January 1). Retrieved from Link
Ohtomo, Y., Kakegawa, T., Ishida, A., Nagase, T., & Rosing, M. T. (2013). Evidence for biogenic graphite in early Archaean Isua metasedimentary rocks. Nature Geoscience, 7 (1), 25–28. Link
The History of Animal Evolution . (2000, January 1). Retrieved from Link
Researchers find that Earth may be home to 1 trillion species NSF – National Science Foundation. (2016, January 1). Retrieved from https://www.nsf.gov/news/news_summ.jsp?cntn_id=138446
Census of Marine Life. (2011, August 24). How many species on Earth? About 8.7 million, new estimate says. ScienceDaily . Retrieved from Link

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ENCYCLOPEDIC ENTRY

Biodiversity.

Biodiversity refers to the variety of living species on Earth, including plants, animals, bacteria, and fungi. While Earth’s biodiversity is so rich that many species have yet to be discovered, many species are being threatened with extinction due to human activities, putting the Earth’s magnificent biodiversity at risk.

Biology, Ecology

grasshoppers

Although all of these insects have a similar structure and may be genetic cousins, the beautiful variety of colors, shapes, camouflage, and sizes showcase the level of diversity possible even within a closely-related group of species.

Photograph by Frans Lanting

Biodiversity is a term used to describe the enormous variety of life on Earth. It can be used more specifically to refer to all of the species in one region or ecosystem . Bio diversity refers to every living thing, including plants, bacteria, animals, and humans. Scientists have estimated that there are around 8.7 million species of plants and animals in existence. However, only around 1.2 million species have been identified and described so far, most of which are insects. This means that millions of other organisms remain a complete mystery.

Over generations , all of the species that are currently alive today have evolved unique traits that make them distinct from other species . These differences are what scientists use to tell one species from another. Organisms that have evolved to be so different from one another that they can no longer reproduce with each other are considered different species . All organisms that can reproduce with each other fall into one species .

Scientists are interested in how much biodiversity there is on a global scale, given that there is still so much biodiversity to discover. They also study how many species exist in single ecosystems, such as a forest, grassland, tundra, or lake. A single grassland can contain a wide range of species, from beetles to snakes to antelopes. Ecosystems that host the most biodiversity tend to have ideal environmental conditions for plant growth, like the warm and wet climate of tropical regions. Ecosystems can also contain species too small to see with the naked eye. Looking at samples of soil or water through a microscope reveals a whole world of bacteria and other tiny organisms.

Some areas in the world, such as areas of Mexico, South Africa, Brazil, the southwestern United States, and Madagascar, have more bio diversity than others. Areas with extremely high levels of bio diversity are called hotspots . Endemic species — species that are only found in one particular location—are also found in hotspots .

All of the Earth’s species work together to survive and maintain their ecosystems . For example, the grass in pastures feeds cattle. Cattle then produce manure that returns nutrients to the soil, which helps to grow more grass. This manure can also be used to fertilize cropland. Many species provide important benefits to humans, including food, clothing, and medicine.

Much of the Earth’s bio diversity , however, is in jeopardy due to human consumption and other activities that disturb and even destroy ecosystems . Pollution , climate change, and population growth are all threats to bio diversity . These threats have caused an unprecedented rise in the rate of species extinction . Some scientists estimate that half of all species on Earth will be wiped out within the next century. Conservation efforts are necessary to preserve bio diversity and protect endangered species and their habitats.

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Essay on Environment for Students and Children

500+ words essay on environment.

Essay on Environment – All living things that live on this earth comes under the environment. Whether they live on land or water they are part of the environment. The environment also includes air, water, sunlight, plants, animals, etc.

Moreover, the earth is considered the only planet in the universe that supports life. The environment can be understood as a blanket that keeps life on the planet sage and sound.

Importance of Environment

We truly cannot understand the real worth of the environment. But we can estimate some of its importance that can help us understand its importance. It plays a vital role in keeping living things healthy in the environment.

Likewise, it maintains the ecological balance that will keep check of life on earth. It provides food, shelter, air, and fulfills all the human needs whether big or small.

Moreover, the entire life support of humans depends wholly on the environmental factors. In addition, it also helps in maintaining various life cycles on earth.

Most importantly, our environment is the source of natural beauty and is necessary for maintaining physical and mental health.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Benefits of the Environment

The environment gives us countless benefits that we can’t repay our entire life. As they are connected with the forest, trees, animals, water, and air. The forest and trees filter the air and absorb harmful gases. Plants purify water, reduce the chances of flood maintain natural balance and many others.

Moreover, the environment keeps a close check on the environment and its functioning, It regulates the vital systems that are essential for the ecosystem. Besides, it maintains the culture and quality of life on earth.

The environment regulates various natural cycles that happen daily. These cycles help in maintaining the natural balance between living things and the environment. Disturbance of these things can ultimately affect the life cycle of humans and other living beings.

The environment has helped us and other living beings to flourish and grow from thousands of years. The environment provides us fertile land, water, air, livestock and many essential things for survival.

Cause of Environmental Degradation

Human activities are the major cause of environmental degradation because most of the activities humans do harm the environment in some way. The activities of humans that causes environmental degradation is pollution, defective environmental policies, chemicals, greenhouse gases, global warming, ozone depletion, etc.

All these affect the environment badly. Besides, these the overuse of natural resources will create a situation in the future there will be no resources for consumption. And the most basic necessity of living air will get so polluted that humans have to use bottled oxygen for breathing.

Above all, increasing human activity is exerting more pressure on the surface of the earth which is causing many disasters in an unnatural form. Also, we are using the natural resources at a pace that within a few years they will vanish from the earth. To conclude, we can say that it is the environment that is keeping us alive. Without the blanket of environment, we won’t be able to survive.

Moreover, the environment’s contribution to life cannot be repaid. Besides, still what the environment has done for us, in return we only have damaged and degraded it.

FAQs about Essay on Environment

Q.1 What is the true meaning of the environment?

A.1 The ecosystem that includes all the plants, animals, birds, reptiles, insects, water bodies, fishes, human beings, trees, microorganisms and many more are part of the environment. Besides, all these constitute the environment.

Q.2 What is the three types of the environment?

A.2 The three types of environment includes the physical, social, and cultural environment. Besides, various scientists have defined different types and numbers of environment.

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Biology Article
Living And Non Living Things

Characteristics Of Living And Non Living Things

Table of Contents

Introduction

Living things, non-living things, difference between living and non-living things, criteria for differentiating living things from non-living things.

We can find many things around us, from mountains and oceans to plants and animals. The earth in which we live is made up of several things. These “things” can be categorized into two different types – Living and Non-living Things.

All living things breathe, eat, grow, move, reproduce and have senses.
Non-living things do not eat, grow, breathe, move and reproduce. They do not have senses.

Living things have “life,” though some might not show its evident signs. For instance, a tree would probably not react the same way a human would. It would not react when we hit it, and it might not be able to walk around. Though the signs of life displayed by them are not very observable, it does not make them non-living.

Let us have a detailed look at the important characteristics of living and non-living things and the difference between the two.

Living things exist and are alive and are made of microscopic structures called cells. They grow and exhibit movement or locomotion. They experience metabolism, which includes anabolic and catabolic reactions.

Living things are capable of producing a new life which is of their own kind through the process of reproduction. Living things have a particular life span and are not immortal.

Cellular Respiration enables living organisms to acquire energy which is used by cells to perform their functions. They digest food for energy and also excrete waste from the body. Their life cycle can be summarised as follows – birth, growth, reproduction and death.

Examples of living things are animals, birds, insects, and human beings.

Characteristics Of Non-living Things

The important characteristics of non-living things are mentioned below:

Non-living things are lifeless. They do not have cells, and there is no protoplasm which forms the basis for life to exist.
Lack of protoplasm leads means no metabolic activities.
They do not have a definite and certain size of their own. They take the shape of the substance they are contained in, for example, a liquid takes the shape of its container. Stones, rocks and boulders are moulded by the changing environment and landscape. The change in the state of a non-living thing is due to an external influence.
Non-living things “grow” by accretion. It occurs through adding materials externally. For example, A snowball may increase in size due to the accumulation of smaller units of its own on its outer surface.
Non-living things never die as they do not have cells with a definite lifespan. Immortality is a distinguishing factor.
Fundamental life processes such as reproduction, nutrition, excretion, etc. are absent in non-living things.

Here are some of the major differences between living and non-living things:

For easy differentiation between living things and non-living things, scientists have come up with traits or characteristics that are unique to them.

The criterion for classification is necessary to avoid the wrong grouping . Hence, science developed a basis for classification. Anything that has life is considered a living being.

For example– humans, trees, dogs, etc.

Things which have no life in them are considered non-living.

For example– stone, mountain, watch, etc.

Scientists have discovered a few criteria for differentiating living things from non-living things.

Here are some of them:

Living beings can grow and develop.
Living beings obtain and use energy.
Living beings adapt to their environment.
All living beings are made of one or more cells.
Living beings respond to their environment or stimuli.
All living things excrete to remove waste material from the body.
Living beings have the ability to give birth to their young ones through the process of reproduction.
All living beings require energy to perform different metabolic activities, and they gain energy from food/ nutrition.
All living beings, apart from plants, move from one place to another. This type of movement is called locomotion.

If something obeys a few of the rules, it cannot be categorized as a living thing. It has to follow all the given rules stringently. For example, an icicle, although it grows (increases its mass or length), is still a non-living thing since it cannot reproduce or respond to stimuli.

Non-living things do not have any of the life processes , unlike living beings.

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Living and Non-Living Things

What are living and non-living things.

Our Earth, which was formed billions and trillions of years ago, has many things. For Example - The trees, the river, the mountains, the plants, the land, the rock, the birds, the animals, etc. These are all part of our surroundings. We come in contact with them in our day-to-day lives. These things around us are differentiated into two types namely living things and non-living things.

Everything that has life is called a living thing and everything that does not possess life is called a non-living thing. There are many factors that differentiate living things from nonliving things. This differentiating factor is not necessarily activities like moving, running, eating but much more. As we know, there are many things on earth that do not move, run or eat but are living things. Plants, for example, are not mobile. They do not eat, but plants have a life. Bacteria that are not even visible to naked eyes is believed to be the first kind of living thing on Earth.

So, what is living and nonliving things and how do we differentiate between them? The article focuses on the discussion of the differentiation of living and non-living things.

Living Things

Living creatures are made up of small units called cells. Cells are the fundamental structural and functional unit of any living thing. One of the important features of living things is that they undergo metabolic processes that include anabolic and catabolic reactions. Through the act of reproduction, living beings are capable of generating new life that is of their own species. Cellular respiration is the process through which living creatures get energy, which is then used by cells to carry out their duties. They use food to get energy and expel waste from their bodies. Animals, birds, insects, and humans are examples of living things. Some of the major defining features of living things are mentioned below:

All living things have life. They eat, breathe, feel, grow, and reproduce.

They carry out chemical reactions within their body, which generates energy. This energy within the body is then used to carry out various activities.

Imagine, what would happen without energy being generated inside the body of a living thing. The living thing’s capability to perform various tasks will end and the living being will cease to exist.

Most often, living things also show the capability to move which is called locomotion.

Every living thing that has life, shows the presence of the cell. Inside the cells, there are chemicals that carry out various chemical reactions. These chemical reactions lead to a number of processes.

There are unicellular organisms- living organisms with single cells and multicellular organisms- living organisms with multiple cells living on earth.

Multicellular organisms also possess tissues, organs, and organ systems, and thus, such organisms have various cells to carry out various functions.

Characteristics of Living Things

The characteristics listed below are shown by all living organisms. These characteristics make up a living thing. These factors show the presence of life in these things. All living organisms take birth, grow, reproduce, and ultimately die. This is the life cycle of every living thing on Earth.

Cellular Organization- As stated above, all living things must possess a cellular organization. A living thing can be unicellular or multicellular but without the presence of cells, living things cannot exist. And, inside the cell, various activities function as operating systems of various tasks. The generation of energy for instance mostly takes place by cellular respiration. It is the process of absorbing nutrients from food and then turning them into energy.

Respiration- Respiration is the second basic process that ensures continuity of life. Respiration is the process of exchanging gases. The goal of respiration is to generate energy. This process also leaves living organisms with waste products that should be eliminated from the body.

Nutrition- Proteins, carbohydrates, fats are the building blocks of our body. Living organisms derive these nutrients from food. Thus, the process of nutrition is the absorption of nutrients from raw materials or food.

Growth- Various stages of development are included in the life cycle of living things. This is called growth. All living things grow. Thus, growth is a very important characteristic of living organisms.

Locomotion- Most of the living things can move. Animals can move on their own. Example- Leopards, cats, dogs can run. In the case of plants, they move towards the sun, as sunlight is essential for growth.

Response to stimulus- All living things respond to stimuli from their surrounding. They show sensitivity to touch and respond according to their surroundings.

Excretion- Various chemical processes taking place in the body of living things generate a bi-product that is not useful. This is waste and it has to be eliminated from the body. The process of elimination of waste generated in the body is called excretion. Excretion is also a characteristic only possessed by living things.

Reproduction- Only living things have the capability to produce offspring, which carry forward their generation. They have a fragment of genetic material from the parent and also show genetic variation due to the mixing of the genes. Thus, another important characteristic of living things is reproduction.

Non-living things

Non-living things do not live. They exist on Earth, right from the time, Earth has formed. They can’t eat, breathe, live, grow, reproduce, or die. They remain in nature as it is. Although, over the course of evolution, they get degraded from their original form. But they can’t die and cease to exist on Earth. Unlike living things, whose continuity depends on a number of factors. Non-Living things are not dependent on such processes.

Characteristics of Non-Living Things

Some of the characteristics of non-living things are summarised below.

Non-living things are lifeless. They do not have life. Hence, they do not need cells to carry out different processes. So, non-living things do not have cells, which is the basic unit of life.

Due to the absence of cells, tissues, organs, there are no metabolic activities going inside them. No metabolic activity means no production of energy.

Non-living things do not show locomotion. They cannot move on their own. An external force has to be applied to move non-living things from one place to another.

They do not require nutrition, as they do not show any life processes. They do not need food to produce energy. They do not grow. They do not produce offspring. So, there is no process of reproduction involved in their life cycle.

Non-living things do not die. They cannot vanish on their own. They do not age. An external force can only destroy them. Example- Mountain, car, ship, water, house, etc.

Difference Between Living and Non-Living Things

A comparative description of the difference between living things and non-living is given below in the table.

In conclusion of the article, we have learned about the differences between living and non-living things, we have also defined the parameters based on which an organism can be categorized as a living thing.

FAQs on Living and Non-Living Things

1. Why can’t non-living things respire?

Non-living things do not have metabolic activities that go on inside them. They do not produce energy or use it to carry out any process. Hence, non-living things do not need to breathe and do not respire.

2. Plants cannot move but still are classified as living things. Why?

All living organisms have cells as the basic unit of life. Plants also have them. The presence of cells shows the presence of metabolic activities and various life processes. The plant needs food and eliminates wastes in the form of gases and water. Plants also show other life processes like reproduction, growth. Plants do not move from one to another directly but are bent towards a light source to live. Hence, plants come under living things.

Biology • Class 8

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Student Writing Contest

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Eight brilliant student essays on what matters most in life.

Read winning essays from our spring 2019 student writing contest.

For the spring 2019 student writing contest, we invited students to read the YES! article “Three Things That Matter Most in Youth and Old Age” by Nancy Hill. Like the author, students interviewed someone significantly older than them about the three things that matter most in life. Students then wrote about what they learned, and about how their interviewees’ answers compare to their own top priorities.

The Winners

From the hundreds of essays written, these eight were chosen as winners. Be sure to read the author’s response to the essay winners and the literary gems that caught our eye. Plus, we share an essay from teacher Charles Sanderson, who also responded to the writing prompt.

Middle School Winner: Rory Leyva

High School Winner: Praethong Klomsum

University Winner: Emily Greenbaum

Powerful Voice Winner: Amanda Schwaben

Powerful Voice Winner: Antonia Mills

Powerful Voice Winner: Isaac Ziemba

Powerful Voice Winner: Lily Hersch

“Tell It Like It Is” Interview Winner: Jonas Buckner

From the Author: Response to Student Winners

Literary Gems

From A Teacher: Charles Sanderson

From the Author: Response to Charles Sanderson

Middle School Winner

Village Home Education Resource Center, Portland, Ore.

The Lessons Of Mortality

“As I’ve aged, things that are more personal to me have become somewhat less important. Perhaps I’ve become less self-centered with the awareness of mortality, how short one person’s life is.” This is how my 72-year-old grandma believes her values have changed over the course of her life. Even though I am only 12 years old, I know my life won’t last forever, and someday I, too, will reflect on my past decisions. We were all born to exist and eventually die, so we have evolved to value things in the context of mortality.

One of the ways I feel most alive is when I play roller derby. I started playing for the Rose City Rollers Juniors two years ago, and this year, I made the Rosebud All-Stars travel team. Roller derby is a fast-paced, full-contact sport. The physicality and intense training make me feel in control of and present in my body.

My roller derby team is like a second family to me. Adolescence is complicated. We understand each other in ways no one else can. I love my friends more than I love almost anything else. My family would have been higher on my list a few years ago, but as I’ve aged it has been important to make my own social connections.

Music led me to roller derby. I started out jam skating at the roller rink. Jam skating is all about feeling the music. It integrates gymnastics, breakdancing, figure skating, and modern dance with R & B and hip hop music. When I was younger, I once lay down in the DJ booth at the roller rink and was lulled to sleep by the drawl of wheels rolling in rhythm and people talking about the things they came there to escape. Sometimes, I go up on the roof of my house at night to listen to music and feel the wind rustle my hair. These unique sensations make me feel safe like nothing else ever has.

My grandma tells me, “Being close with family and friends is the most important thing because I haven’t

always had that.” When my grandma was two years old, her father died. Her mother became depressed and moved around a lot, which made it hard for my grandma to make friends. Once my grandma went to college, she made lots of friends. She met my grandfather, Joaquin Leyva when she was working as a park ranger and he was a surfer. They bought two acres of land on the edge of a redwood forest and had a son and a daughter. My grandma created a stable family that was missing throughout her early life.

My grandma is motivated to maintain good health so she can be there for her family. I can relate because I have to be fit and strong for my team. Since she lost my grandfather to cancer, she realizes how lucky she is to have a functional body and no life-threatening illnesses. My grandma tries to eat well and exercise, but she still struggles with depression. Over time, she has learned that reaching out to others is essential to her emotional wellbeing.

Caring for the earth is also a priority for my grandma I’ve been lucky to learn from my grandma. She’s taught me how to hunt for fossils in the desert and find shells on the beach. Although my grandma grew up with no access to the wilderness, she admired the green open areas of urban cemeteries. In college, she studied geology and hiked in the High Sierras. For years, she’s been an advocate for conserving wildlife habitat and open spaces.

Our priorities may seem different, but it all comes down to basic human needs. We all desire a purpose, strive to be happy, and need to be loved. Like Nancy Hill says in the YES! Magazine article “Three Things That Matter Most in Youth and Old Age,” it can be hard to decipher what is important in life. I believe that the constant search for satisfaction and meaning is the only thing everyone has in common. We all want to know what matters, and we walk around this confusing world trying to find it. The lessons I’ve learned from my grandma about forging connections, caring for my body, and getting out in the world inspire me to live my life my way before it’s gone.

Rory Leyva is a seventh-grader from Portland, Oregon. Rory skates for the Rosebuds All-Stars roller derby team. She loves listening to music and hanging out with her friends.

High School Winner

Praethong Klomsum

Santa Monica High School, Santa Monica, Calif.

Time Only Moves Forward

Sandra Hernandez gazed at the tiny house while her mother’s gentle hands caressed her shoulders. It wasn’t much, especially for a family of five. This was 1960, she was 17, and her family had just moved to Culver City.

Flash forward to 2019. Sandra sits in a rocking chair, knitting a blanket for her latest grandchild, in the same living room. Sandra remembers working hard to feed her eight children. She took many different jobs before settling behind the cash register at a Japanese restaurant called Magos. “It was a struggle, and my husband Augustine, was planning to join the military at that time, too.”

In the YES! Magazine article “Three Things That Matter Most in Youth and Old Age,” author Nancy Hill states that one of the most important things is “…connecting with others in general, but in particular with those who have lived long lives.” Sandra feels similarly. It’s been hard for Sandra to keep in contact with her family, which leaves her downhearted some days. “It’s important to maintain that connection you have with your family, not just next-door neighbors you talk to once a month.”

Despite her age, Sandra is a daring woman. Taking risks is important to her, and she’ll try anything—from skydiving to hiking. Sandra has some regrets from the past, but nowadays, she doesn’t wonder about the “would have, could have, should haves.” She just goes for it with a smile.

Sandra thought harder about her last important thing, the blue and green blanket now finished and covering

her lap. “I’ve definitely lived a longer life than most, and maybe this is just wishful thinking, but I hope I can see the day my great-grandchildren are born.” She’s laughing, but her eyes look beyond what’s in front of her. Maybe she is reminiscing about the day she held her son for the first time or thinking of her grandchildren becoming parents. I thank her for her time and she waves it off, offering me a styrofoam cup of lemonade before I head for the bus station.

The bus is sparsely filled. A voice in my head reminds me to finish my 10-page history research paper before spring break. I take a window seat and pull out my phone and earbuds. My playlist is already on shuffle, and I push away thoughts of that dreaded paper. Music has been a constant in my life—from singing my lungs out in kindergarten to Barbie’s “I Need To Know,” to jamming out to Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space” in sixth grade, to BTS’s “Intro: Never Mind” comforting me when I’m at my lowest. Music is my magic shop, a place where I can trade away my fears for calm.

I’ve always been afraid of doing something wrong—not finishing my homework or getting a C when I can do better. When I was 8, I wanted to be like the big kids. As I got older, I realized that I had exchanged my childhood longing for the 48 pack of crayons for bigger problems, balancing grades, a social life, and mental stability—all at once. I’m going to get older whether I like it or not, so there’s no point forcing myself to grow up faster. I’m learning to live in the moment.

The bus is approaching my apartment, where I know my comfy bed and a home-cooked meal from my mom are waiting. My mom is hard-working, confident, and very stubborn. I admire her strength of character. She always keeps me in line, even through my rebellious phases.

My best friend sends me a text—an update on how broken her laptop is. She is annoying. She says the stupidest things and loves to state the obvious. Despite this, she never fails to make me laugh until my cheeks feel numb. The rest of my friends are like that too—loud, talkative, and always brightening my day. Even friends I stopped talking to have a place in my heart. Recently, I’ve tried to reconnect with some of them. This interview was possible because a close friend from sixth grade offered to introduce me to Sandra, her grandmother.

I’m decades younger than Sandra, so my view of what’s important isn’t as broad as hers, but we share similar values, with friends and family at the top. I have a feeling that when Sandra was my age, she used to love music, too. Maybe in a few decades, when I’m sitting in my rocking chair, drawing in my sketchbook, I’ll remember this article and think back fondly to the days when life was simple.

Praethong Klomsum is a tenth-grader at Santa Monica High School in Santa Monica, California. Praethong has a strange affinity for rhyme games and is involved in her school’s dance team. She enjoys drawing and writing, hoping to impact people willing to listen to her thoughts and ideas.

University Winner

Emily Greenbaum

Kent State University, Kent, Ohio

The Life-Long War

Every morning we open our eyes, ready for a new day. Some immediately turn to their phones and social media. Others work out or do yoga. For a certain person, a deep breath and the morning sun ground him. He hears the clink-clank of his wife cooking low sodium meat for breakfast—doctor’s orders! He sees that the other side of the bed is already made, the dogs are no longer in the room, and his clothes are set out nicely on the loveseat.

Today, though, this man wakes up to something different: faded cream walls and jello. This person, my hero, is Master Chief Petty Officer Roger James.

I pulled up my chair close to Roger’s vinyl recliner so I could hear him above the noise of the beeping dialysis machine. I noticed Roger would occasionally glance at his wife Susan with sparkly eyes when he would recall memories of the war or their grandkids. He looked at Susan like she walked on water.

Roger James served his country for thirty years. Now, he has enlisted in another type of war. He suffers from a rare blood cancer—the result of the wars he fought in. Roger has good and bad days. He says, “The good outweighs the bad, so I have to be grateful for what I have on those good days.”

When Roger retired, he never thought the effects of the war would reach him. The once shallow wrinkles upon his face become deeper, as he tells me, “It’s just cancer. Others are suffering from far worse. I know I’ll make it.”

Like Nancy Hill did in her article “Three Things that Matter Most in Youth and Old Age,” I asked Roger, “What are the three most important things to you?” James answered, “My wife Susan, my grandkids, and church.”

Roger and Susan served together in the Vietnam war. She was a nurse who treated his cuts and scrapes one day. I asked Roger why he chose Susan. He said, “Susan told me to look at her while she cleaned me up. ‘This may sting, but don’t be a baby.’ When I looked into her eyes, I felt like she was looking into my soul, and I didn’t want her to leave. She gave me this sense of home. Every day I wake up, she makes me feel the same way, and I fall in love with her all over again.”

Roger and Susan have two kids and four grandkids, with great-grandchildren on the way. He claims that his grandkids give him the youth that he feels slowly escaping from his body. This adoring grandfather is energized by coaching t-ball and playing evening card games with the grandkids.

The last thing on his list was church. His oldest daughter married a pastor. Together they founded a church. Roger said that the connection between his faith and family is important to him because it gave him a reason to want to live again. I learned from Roger that when you’re across the ocean, you tend to lose sight of why you are fighting. When Roger returned, he didn’t have the will to live. Most days were a struggle, adapting back into a society that lacked empathy for the injuries, pain, and psychological trauma carried by returning soldiers. Church changed that for Roger and gave him a sense of purpose.

When I began this project, my attitude was to just get the assignment done. I never thought I could view Master Chief Petty Officer Roger James as more than a role model, but he definitely changed my mind. It’s as if Roger magically lit a fire inside of me and showed me where one’s true passions should lie. I see our similarities and embrace our differences. We both value family and our own connections to home—his home being church and mine being where I can breathe the easiest.

Master Chief Petty Officer Roger James has shown me how to appreciate what I have around me and that every once in a while, I should step back and stop to smell the roses. As we concluded the interview, amidst squeaky clogs and the stale smell of bleach and bedpans, I looked to Roger, his kind, tired eyes, and weathered skin, with a deeper sense of admiration, knowing that his values still run true, no matter what he faces.

Emily Greenbaum is a senior at Kent State University, graduating with a major in Conflict Management and minor in Geography. Emily hopes to use her major to facilitate better conversations, while she works in the Washington, D.C. area.

Powerful Voice Winner

Amanda Schwaben

Wise Words From Winnie the Pooh

As I read through Nancy Hill’s article “Three Things That Matter Most in Youth and Old Age,” I was comforted by the similar responses given by both children and older adults. The emphasis participants placed on family, social connections, and love was not only heartwarming but hopeful. While the messages in the article filled me with warmth, I felt a twinge of guilt building within me. As a twenty-one-year-old college student weeks from graduation, I honestly don’t think much about the most important things in life. But if I was asked, I would most likely say family, friendship, and love. As much as I hate to admit it, I often find myself obsessing over achieving a successful career and finding a way to “save the world.”

A few weeks ago, I was at my family home watching the new Winnie the Pooh movie Christopher Robin with my mom and younger sister. Well, I wasn’t really watching. I had my laptop in front of me, and I was aggressively typing up an assignment. Halfway through the movie, I realized I left my laptop charger in my car. I walked outside into the brisk March air. Instinctively, I looked up. The sky was perfectly clear, revealing a beautiful array of stars. When my twin sister and I were in high school, we would always take a moment to look up at the sparkling night sky before we came into the house after soccer practice.

I think that was the last time I stood in my driveway and gazed at the stars. I did not get the laptop charger from

my car; instead, I turned around and went back inside. I shut my laptop and watched the rest of the movie. My twin sister loves Winnie the Pooh. So much so that my parents got her a stuffed animal version of him for Christmas. While I thought he was adorable and a token of my childhood, I did not really understand her obsession. However, it was clear to me after watching the movie. Winnie the Pooh certainly had it figured out. He believed that the simple things in life were the most important: love, friendship, and having fun.

I thought about asking my mom right then what the three most important things were to her, but I decided not to. I just wanted to be in the moment. I didn’t want to be doing homework. It was a beautiful thing to just sit there and be present with my mom and sister.

I did ask her, though, a couple of weeks later. Her response was simple. All she said was family, health, and happiness. When she told me this, I imagined Winnie the Pooh smiling. I think he would be proud of that answer.

I was not surprised by my mom’s reply. It suited her perfectly. I wonder if we relearn what is most important when we grow older—that the pressure to be successful subsides. Could it be that valuing family, health, and happiness is what ends up saving the world?

Amanda Schwaben is a graduating senior from Kent State University with a major in Applied Conflict Management. Amanda also has minors in Psychology and Interpersonal Communication. She hopes to further her education and focus on how museums not only preserve history but also promote peace.

Antonia Mills

Rachel Carson High School, Brooklyn, N.Y.

Decoding The Butterfly

For a caterpillar to become a butterfly, it must first digest itself. The caterpillar, overwhelmed by accumulating tissue, splits its skin open to form its protective shell, the chrysalis, and later becomes the pretty butterfly we all know and love. There are approximately 20,000 species of butterflies, and just as every species is different, so is the life of every butterfly. No matter how long and hard a caterpillar has strived to become the colorful and vibrant butterfly that we marvel at on a warm spring day, it does not live a long life. A butterfly can live for a year, six months, two weeks, and even as little as twenty-four hours.

I have often wondered if butterflies live long enough to be blissful of blue skies. Do they take time to feast upon the sweet nectar they crave, midst their hustling life of pollinating pretty flowers? Do they ever take a lull in their itineraries, or are they always rushing towards completing their four-stage metamorphosis? Has anyone asked the butterfly, “Who are you?” instead of “What are you”? Or, How did you get here, on my windowsill? How did you become ‘you’?

Humans are similar to butterflies. As a caterpillar

Suzanna Ruby/Getty Images

becomes a butterfly, a baby becomes an elder. As a butterfly soars through summer skies, an elder watches summer skies turn into cold winter nights and back toward summer skies yet again. And as a butterfly flits slowly by the porch light, a passerby makes assumptions about the wrinkled, slow-moving elder, who is sturdier than he appears. These creatures are not seen for who they are—who they were—because people have “better things to do” or they are too busy to ask, “How are you”?

Our world can be a lonely place. Pressured by expectations, haunted by dreams, overpowered by weakness, and drowned out by lofty goals, we tend to forget ourselves—and others. Rather than hang onto the strands of our diminishing sanity, we might benefit from listening to our elders. Many elders have experienced setbacks in their young lives. Overcoming hardship and surviving to old age is wisdom that they carry. We can learn from them—and can even make their day by taking the time to hear their stories.

Nancy Hill, who wrote the YES! Magazine article “Three Things That Matter Most in Youth and Old Age,” was right: “We live among such remarkable people, yet few know their stories.” I know a lot about my grandmother’s life, and it isn’t as serene as my own. My grandmother, Liza, who cooks every day, bakes bread on holidays for our neighbors, brings gifts to her doctor out of the kindness of her heart, and makes conversation with neighbors even though she is isn’t fluent in English—Russian is her first language—has struggled all her life. Her mother, Anna, a single parent, had tuberculosis, and even though she had an inviolable spirit, she was too frail to care for four children. She passed away when my grandmother was sixteen, so my grandmother and her siblings spent most of their childhood in an orphanage. My grandmother got married at nineteen to my grandfather, Pinhas. He was a man who loved her more than he loved himself and was a godsend to every person he met. Liza was—and still is—always quick to do what was best for others, even if that person treated her poorly. My grandmother has lived with physical pain all her life, yet she pushed herself to climb heights that she wasn’t ready for. Against all odds, she has lived to tell her story to people who are willing to listen. And I always am.

I asked my grandmother, “What are three things most important to you?” Her answer was one that I already expected: One, for everyone to live long healthy lives. Two, for you to graduate from college. Three, for you to always remember that I love you.

What may be basic to you means the world to my grandmother. She just wants what she never had the chance to experience: a healthy life, an education, and the chance to express love to the people she values. The three things that matter most to her may be so simple and ordinary to outsiders, but to her, it is so much more. And who could take that away?

Antonia Mills was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York and attends Rachel Carson High School. Antonia enjoys creative activities, including writing, painting, reading, and baking. She hopes to pursue culinary arts professionally in the future. One of her favorite quotes is, “When you start seeing your worth, you’ll find it harder to stay around people who don’t.” -Emily S.P.

Powerful Voice Winner

Isaac Ziemba

Odyssey Multiage Program, Bainbridge Island, Wash.

This Former State Trooper Has His Priorities Straight: Family, Climate Change, and Integrity

I have a personal connection to people who served in the military and first responders. My uncle is a first responder on the island I live on, and my dad retired from the Navy. That was what made a man named Glen Tyrell, a state trooper for 25 years, 2 months and 9 days, my first choice to interview about what three things matter in life. In the YES! Magazine article “The Three Things That Matter Most in Youth and Old Age,” I learned that old and young people have a great deal in common. I know that’s true because Glen and I care about a lot of the same things.

For Glen, family is at the top of his list of important things. “My wife was, and is, always there for me. My daughters mean the world to me, too, but Penny is my partner,” Glen said. I can understand why Glen’s wife is so important to him. She’s family. Family will always be there for you.

Glen loves his family, and so do I with all my heart. My dad especially means the world to me. He is my top supporter and tells me that if I need help, just “say the word.” When we are fishing or crabbing, sometimes I

think, what if these times were erased from my memory? I wouldn’t be able to describe the horrible feeling that would rush through my mind, and I’m sure that Glen would feel the same about his wife.

My uncle once told me that the world is always going to change over time. It’s what the world has turned out to be that worries me. Both Glen and I are extremely concerned about climate change and the effect that rising temperatures have on animals and their habitats. We’re driving them to extinction. Some people might say, “So what? Animals don’t pay taxes or do any of the things we do.” What we are doing to them is like the Black Death times 100.

Glen is also frustrated by how much plastic we use and where it ends up. He would be shocked that an explorer recently dived to the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean—seven miles!— and discovered a plastic bag and candy wrappers. Glen told me that, unfortunately, his generation did the damage and my generation is here to fix it. We need to take better care of Earth because if we don’t, we, as a species, will have failed.

Both Glen and I care deeply for our families and the earth, but for our third important value, I chose education and Glen chose integrity. My education is super important to me because without it, I would be a blank slate. I wouldn’t know how to figure out problems. I wouldn’t be able to tell right from wrong. I wouldn’t understand the Bill of Rights. I would be stuck. Everyone should be able to go to school, no matter where they’re from or who they are. It makes me angry and sad to think that some people, especially girls, get shot because they are trying to go to school. I understand how lucky I am.

Integrity is sacred to Glen—I could tell by the serious tone of Glen’s voice when he told me that integrity was the code he lived by as a former state trooper. He knew that he had the power to change a person’s life, and he was committed to not abusing that power. When Glen put someone under arrest—and my uncle says the same—his judgment and integrity were paramount. “Either you’re right or you’re wrong.” You can’t judge a person by what you think, you can only judge a person from what you know.”

I learned many things about Glen and what’s important in life, but there is one thing that stands out—something Glen always does and does well. Glen helps people. He did it as a state trooper, and he does it in our school, where he works on construction projects. Glen told me that he believes that our most powerful tools are writing and listening to others. I think those tools are important, too, but I also believe there are other tools to help solve many of our problems and create a better future: to be compassionate, to create caring relationships, and to help others. Just like Glen Tyrell does each and every day.

Isaac Ziemba is in seventh grade at the Odyssey Multiage Program on a small island called Bainbridge near Seattle, Washington. Isaac’s favorite subject in school is history because he has always been interested in how the past affects the future. In his spare time, you can find Isaac hunting for crab with his Dad, looking for artifacts around his house with his metal detector, and having fun with his younger cousin, Conner.

Lily Hersch

The Crest Academy, Salida, Colo.

The Phone Call

Dear Grandpa,

In my short span of life—12 years so far—you’ve taught me a lot of important life lessons that I’ll always have with me. Some of the values I talk about in this writing I’ve learned from you.

Dedicated to my Gramps.

In the YES! Magazine article “Three Things That Matter Most in Youth and Old Age,” author and photographer Nancy Hill asked people to name the three things that mattered most to them. After reading the essay prompt for the article, I immediately knew who I wanted to interview: my grandpa Gil.

My grandpa was born on January 25, 1942. He lived in a minuscule tenement in The Bronx with his mother,

father, and brother. His father wasn’t around much, and, when he was, he was reticent and would snap occasionally, revealing his constrained mental pain. My grandpa says this happened because my great grandfather did not have a father figure in his life. His mother was a classy, sharp lady who was the head secretary at a local police district station. My grandpa and his brother Larry did not care for each other. Gramps said he was very close to his mother, and Larry wasn’t. Perhaps Larry was envious for what he didn’t have.

Decades after little to no communication with his brother, my grandpa decided to spontaneously visit him in Florida, where he resided with his wife. Larry was taken aback at the sudden reappearance of his brother and told him to leave. Since then, the two brothers have not been in contact. My grandpa doesn’t even know if Larry is alive.

My grandpa is now a retired lawyer, married to my wonderful grandma, and living in a pretty house with an ugly dog named BoBo.

So, what’s important to you, Gramps?

He paused a second, then replied, “Family, kindness, and empathy.”

“Family, because it’s my family. It’s important to stay connected with your family. My brother, father, and I never connected in the way I wished, and sometimes I contemplated what could’ve happened. But you can’t change the past. So, that’s why family’s important to me.”

Family will always be on my “Top Three Most Important Things” list, too. I can’t imagine not having my older brother, Zeke, or my grandma in my life. I wonder how other kids feel about their families? How do kids trapped and separated from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border feel? What about orphans? Too many questions, too few answers.

“Kindness, because growing up and not seeing a lot of kindness made me realize how important it is to have that in the world. Kindness makes the world go round.”

What is kindness? Helping my brother, Eli, who has Down syndrome, get ready in the morning? Telling people what they need to hear, rather than what they want to hear? Maybe, for now, I’ll put wisdom, not kindness, on my list.

“Empathy, because of all the killings and shootings [in this country.] We also need to care for people—people who are not living in as good circumstances as I have. Donald Trump and other people I’ve met have no empathy. Empathy is very important.”

Empathy is something I’ve felt my whole life. It’ll always be important to me like it is important to my grandpa. My grandpa shows his empathy when he works with disabled children. Once he took a disabled child to a Christina Aguilera concert because that child was too young to go by himself. The moments I feel the most empathy are when Eli gets those looks from people. Seeing Eli wonder why people stare at him like he’s a freak makes me sad, and annoyed that they have the audacity to stare.

After this 2 minute and 36-second phone call, my grandpa has helped me define what’s most important to me at this time in my life: family, wisdom, and empathy. Although these things are important now, I realize they can change and most likely will.

When I’m an old woman, I envision myself scrambling through a stack of storage boxes and finding this paper. Perhaps after reading words from my 12-year-old self, I’ll ask myself “What’s important to me?”

Lily Hersch is a sixth-grader at Crest Academy in Salida, Colorado. Lily is an avid indoorsman, finding joy in competitive spelling, art, and of course, writing. She does not like Swiss cheese.

“Tell It Like It Is” Interview Winner

Jonas Buckner

KIPP: Gaston College Preparatory, Gaston, N.C.

Lessons My Nana Taught Me

I walked into the house. In the other room, I heard my cousin screaming at his game. There were a lot of Pioneer Woman dishes everywhere. The room had the television on max volume. The fan in the other room was on. I didn’t know it yet, but I was about to learn something powerful.

I was in my Nana’s house, and when I walked in, she said, “Hey Monkey Butt.”

I said, “Hey Nana.”

Before the interview, I was talking to her about what I was gonna interview her on. Also, I had asked her why I might have wanted to interview her, and she responded with, “Because you love me, and I love you too.”

Now, it was time to start the interview. The first

question I asked was the main and most important question ever: “What three things matter most to you and you only?”

She thought of it very thoughtfully and responded with, “My grandchildren, my children, and my health.”

Then, I said, “OK, can you please tell me more about your health?”

She responded with, “My health is bad right now. I have heart problems, blood sugar, and that’s about it.” When she said it, she looked at me and smiled because she loved me and was happy I chose her to interview.

I replied with, “K um, why is it important to you?”

She smiled and said, “Why is it…Why is my health important? Well, because I want to live a long time and see my grandchildren grow up.”

I was scared when she said that, but she still smiled. I was so happy, and then I said, “Has your health always been important to you.”

She responded with “Nah.”

Then, I asked, “Do you happen to have a story to help me understand your reasoning?”

She said, “No, not really.”

Now we were getting into the next set of questions. I said, “Remember how you said that your grandchildren matter to you? Can you please tell me why they matter to you?”

Then, she responded with, “So I can spend time with them, play with them, and everything.”

Next, I asked the same question I did before: “Have you always loved your grandchildren?”

She responded with, “Yes, they have always been important to me.”

Then, the next two questions I asked she had no response to at all. She was very happy until I asked, “Why do your children matter most to you?”

She had a frown on and responded, “My daughter Tammy died a long time ago.”

Then, at this point, the other questions were answered the same as the other ones. When I left to go home I was thinking about how her answers were similar to mine. She said health, and I care about my health a lot, and I didn’t say, but I wanted to. She also didn’t have answers for the last two questions on each thing, and I was like that too.

The lesson I learned was that no matter what, always keep pushing because even though my aunt or my Nana’s daughter died, she kept on pushing and loving everyone. I also learned that everything should matter to us. Once again, I chose to interview my Nana because she matters to me, and I know when she was younger she had a lot of things happen to her, so I wanted to know what she would say. The point I’m trying to make is that be grateful for what you have and what you have done in life.

Jonas Buckner is a sixth-grader at KIPP: Gaston College Preparatory in Gaston, North Carolina. Jonas’ favorite activities are drawing, writing, math, piano, and playing AltSpace VR. He found his passion for writing in fourth grade when he wrote a quick autobiography. Jonas hopes to become a horror writer someday.

From The Author: Responses to Student Winners

Dear Emily, Isaac, Antonia, Rory, Praethong, Amanda, Lily, and Jonas,

Your thought-provoking essays sent my head spinning. The more I read, the more impressed I was with the depth of thought, beauty of expression, and originality. It left me wondering just how to capture all of my reactions in a single letter. After multiple false starts, I’ve landed on this: I will stick to the theme of three most important things.

The three things I found most inspirational about your essays:

You listened.

You connected.

We live in troubled times. Tensions mount between countries, cultures, genders, religious beliefs, and generations. If we fail to find a way to understand each other, to see similarities between us, the future will be fraught with increased hostility.

You all took critical steps toward connecting with someone who might not value the same things you do by asking a person who is generations older than you what matters to them. Then, you listened to their answers. You saw connections between what is important to them and what is important to you. Many of you noted similarities, others wondered if your own list of the three most important things would change as you go through life. You all saw the validity of the responses you received and looked for reasons why your interviewees have come to value what they have.

It is through these things—asking, listening, and connecting—that we can begin to bridge the differences in experiences and beliefs that are currently dividing us.

Individual observations

Each one of you made observations that all of us, regardless of age or experience, would do well to keep in mind. I chose one quote from each person and trust those reading your essays will discover more valuable insights.

“Our priorities may seem different, but they come back to basic human needs. We all desire a purpose, strive to be happy, and work to make a positive impact.”

“You can’t judge a person by what you think , you can only judge a person by what you know .”

Emily (referencing your interviewee, who is battling cancer):

“Master Chief Petty Officer James has shown me how to appreciate what I have around me.”

Lily (quoting your grandfather):

“Kindness makes the world go round.”

“Everything should matter to us.”

Praethong (quoting your interviewee, Sandra, on the importance of family):

“It’s important to always maintain that connection you have with each other, your family, not just next-door neighbors you talk to once a month.”

“I wonder if maybe we relearn what is most important when we grow older. That the pressure to be successful subsides and that valuing family, health, and happiness is what ends up saving the world.”

“Listen to what others have to say. Listen to the people who have already experienced hardship. You will learn from them and you can even make their day by giving them a chance to voice their thoughts.”

I end this letter to you with the hope that you never stop asking others what is most important to them and that you to continue to take time to reflect on what matters most to you…and why. May you never stop asking, listening, and connecting with others, especially those who may seem to be unlike you. Keep writing, and keep sharing your thoughts and observations with others, for your ideas are awe-inspiring.

I also want to thank the more than 1,000 students who submitted essays. Together, by sharing what’s important to us with others, especially those who may believe or act differently, we can fill the world with joy, peace, beauty, and love.

We received many outstanding essays for the Winter 2019 Student Writing Competition. Though not every participant can win the contest, we’d like to share some excerpts that caught our eye:

Whether it is a painting on a milky canvas with watercolors or pasting photos onto a scrapbook with her granddaughters, it is always a piece of artwork to her. She values the things in life that keep her in the moment, while still exploring things she may not have initially thought would bring her joy.

—Ondine Grant-Krasno, Immaculate Heart Middle School, Los Angeles, Calif.

“Ganas”… It means “desire” in Spanish. My ganas is fueled by my family’s belief in me. I cannot and will not fail them.

—Adan Rios, Lane Community College, Eugene, Ore.

I hope when I grow up I can have the love for my kids like my grandma has for her kids. She makes being a mother even more of a beautiful thing than it already is.

—Ashley Shaw, Columbus City Prep School for Girls, Grove City, Ohio

You become a collage of little pieces of your friends and family. They also encourage you to be the best you can be. They lift you up onto the seat of your bike, they give you the first push, and they don’t hesitate to remind you that everything will be alright when you fall off and scrape your knee.

— Cecilia Stanton, Bellafonte Area Middle School, Bellafonte, Pa.

Without good friends, I wouldn’t know what I would do to endure the brutal machine of public education.

—Kenneth Jenkins, Garrison Middle School, Walla Walla, Wash.

My dog, as ridiculous as it may seem, is a beautiful example of what we all should aspire to be. We should live in the moment, not stress, and make it our goal to lift someone’s spirits, even just a little.

—Kate Garland, Immaculate Heart Middle School, Los Angeles, Calif.

I strongly hope that every child can spare more time to accompany their elderly parents when they are struggling, and moving forward, and give them more care and patience. so as to truly achieve the goal of “you accompany me to grow up, and I will accompany you to grow old.”

—Taiyi Li, Lane Community College, Eugene, Ore.

I have three cats, and they are my brothers and sisters. We share a special bond that I think would not be possible if they were human. Since they do not speak English, we have to find other ways to connect, and I think that those other ways can be more powerful than language.

—Maya Dombroskie, Delta Program Middle School, Boulsburg, Pa.

We are made to love and be loved. To have joy and be relational. As a member of the loneliest generation in possibly all of history, I feel keenly aware of the need for relationships and authentic connection. That is why I decided to talk to my grandmother.

—Luke Steinkamp, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio

After interviewing my grandma and writing my paper, I realized that as we grow older, the things that are important to us don’t change, what changes is why those things are important to us.

—Emily Giffer, Our Lady Star of the Sea, Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.

The media works to marginalize elders, often isolating them and their stories, and the wealth of knowledge that comes with their additional years of lived experiences. It also undermines the depth of children’s curiosity and capacity to learn and understand. When the worlds of elders and children collide, a classroom opens.

—Cristina Reitano, City College of San Francisco, San Francisco, Calif.

My values, although similar to my dad, only looked the same in the sense that a shadow is similar to the object it was cast on.

—Timofey Lisenskiy, Santa Monica High School, Santa Monica, Calif.

I can release my anger through writing without having to take it out on someone. I can escape and be a different person; it feels good not to be myself for a while. I can make up my own characters, so I can be someone different every day, and I think that’s pretty cool.

—Jasua Carillo, Wellness, Business, and Sports School, Woodburn, Ore.

Notice how all the important things in his life are people: the people who he loves and who love him back. This is because “people are more important than things like money or possessions, and families are treasures,” says grandpa Pat. And I couldn’t agree more.

—Brody Hartley, Garrison Middle School, Walla Walla, Wash.

Curiosity for other people’s stories could be what is needed to save the world.

—Noah Smith, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio

Peace to me is a calm lake without a ripple in sight. It’s a starry night with a gentle breeze that pillows upon your face. It’s the absence of arguments, fighting, or war. It’s when egos stop working against each other and finally begin working with each other. Peace is free from fear, anxiety, and depression. To me, peace is an important ingredient in the recipe of life.

—JP Bogan, Lane Community College, Eugene, Ore.

From A Teacher

Charles Sanderson

Wellness, Business and Sports School, Woodburn, Ore.

The Birthday Gift

I’ve known Jodelle for years, watching her grow from a quiet and timid twelve-year-old to a young woman who just returned from India, where she played Kabaddi, a kind of rugby meets Red Rover.

One of my core beliefs as an educator is to show up for the things that matter to kids, so I go to their games, watch their plays, and eat the strawberry jam they make for the county fair. On this occasion, I met Jodelle at a robotics competition to watch her little sister Abby compete. Think Nerd Paradise: more hats made from traffic cones than Golden State Warrior ball caps, more unicorn capes than Nike swooshes, more fanny packs with Legos than clutches with eyeliner.

We started chatting as the crowd chanted and waved six-foot flags for teams like Mystic Biscuits, Shrek, and everyone’s nemesis The Mean Machine. Apparently, when it’s time for lunch at a robotics competition, they don’t mess around. The once-packed gym was left to Jodelle and me, and we kept talking and talking. I eventually asked her about the three things that matter to her most.

She told me about her mom, her sister, and her addiction—to horses. I’ve read enough of her writing to know that horses were her drug of choice and her mom and sister were her support network.

I learned about her desire to become a teacher and how hours at the barn with her horse, Heart, recharge her when she’s exhausted. At one point, our rambling conversation turned to a topic I’ve known far too well—her father.

Later that evening, I received an email from Jodelle, and she had a lot to say. One line really struck me: “In so many movies, I have seen a dad wanting to protect his daughter from the world, but I’ve only understood the scene cognitively. Yesterday, I felt it.”

Long ago, I decided that I would never be a dad. I had seen movies with fathers and daughters, and for me, those movies might as well have been Star Wars, ET, or Alien—worlds filled with creatures I’d never know. However, over the years, I’ve attended Jodelle’s parent-teacher conferences, gone to her graduation, and driven hours to watch her ride Heart at horse shows. Simply, I showed up. I listened. I supported.

Jodelle shared a series of dad poems, as well. I had read the first two poems in their original form when Jodelle was my student. The revised versions revealed new graphic details of her past. The third poem, however, was something entirely different.

She called the poems my early birthday present. When I read the lines “You are my father figure/Who I look up to/Without being looked down on,” I froze for an instant and had to reread the lines. After fifty years of consciously deciding not to be a dad, I was seen as one—and it felt incredible. Jodelle’s poem and recognition were two of the best presents I’ve ever received.

I know that I was the language arts teacher that Jodelle needed at the time, but her poem revealed things I never knew I taught her: “My father figure/ Who taught me/ That listening is for observing the world/ That listening is for learning/Not obeying/Writing is for connecting/Healing with others.”

Teaching is often a thankless job, one that frequently brings more stress and anxiety than joy and hope. Stress erodes my patience. Anxiety curtails my ability to enter each interaction with every student with the grace they deserve. However, my time with Jodelle reminds me of the importance of leaning in and listening.

In the article “Three Things That Matter Most in Youth and Old Age” by Nancy Hill, she illuminates how we “live among such remarkable people, yet few know their stories.” For the last twenty years, I’ve had the privilege to work with countless of these “remarkable people,” and I’ve done my best to listen, and, in so doing, I hope my students will realize what I’ve known for a long time; their voices matter and deserve to be heard, but the voices of their tias and abuelitos and babushkas are equally important. When we take the time to listen, I believe we do more than affirm the humanity of others; we affirm our own as well.

Charles Sanderson has grounded his nineteen-year teaching career in a philosophy he describes as “Mirror, Window, Bridge.” Charles seeks to ensure all students see themselves, see others, and begin to learn the skills to build bridges of empathy, affinity, and understanding between communities and cultures that may seem vastly different. He proudly teaches at the Wellness, Business and Sports School in Woodburn, Oregon, a school and community that brings him joy and hope on a daily basis.

From The Author: Response to Charles Sanderson

Dear Charles Sanderson,

Thank you for submitting an essay of your own in addition to encouraging your students to participate in YES! Magazine’s essay contest.

Your essay focused not on what is important to you, but rather on what is important to one of your students. You took what mattered to her to heart, acting upon it by going beyond the school day and creating a connection that has helped fill a huge gap in her life. Your efforts will affect her far beyond her years in school. It is clear that your involvement with this student is far from the only time you have gone beyond the classroom, and while you are not seeking personal acknowledgment, I cannot help but applaud you.

In an ideal world, every teacher, every adult, would show the same interest in our children and adolescents that you do. By taking the time to listen to what is important to our youth, we can help them grow into compassionate, caring adults, capable of making our world a better place.

Your concerted efforts to guide our youth to success not only as students but also as human beings is commendable. May others be inspired by your insights, concerns, and actions. You define excellence in teaching.

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living things
Cells are the building blocks of the living world. Living things as diverse as bacteria, archaea, algae, fungi, protozoans, animals, and plants all consist of one or more cells. Cells are made up of components that help living things to eat, respire, excrete wastes, and perform all of the necessary functions of life.
Living Things
There is no definite solution, to be honest. On the safe side, one can assume that if something can reproduce, it can be called alive or a living being. Birds, insects, animals, trees, human beings, are a few examples of living things as they have the same characteristic features, like eating, breathing, reproduction, growth, and development, etc.
Essay on Living Things
This informative essay explores the characteristics and diversity of living things, highlighting their remarkable adaptations, the interconnectedness of ecosystems, and the essential role they play in sustaining life on Earth. By delving into the fascinating world of living things, we gain a deeper appreciation for the complexity, beauty, and ...
Characteristics of living things
The table below describes seven characteristics of most living things and contains references to earthworms to explain why we can definitely say that they are 'living'. Life process. Explanation. Earthworms. Movement. All living things move in some way. This may be obvious, such as animals that are able to walk, or less obvious, such as plants ...
What is life? (article)
Biologists have identified various traits common to all the living organisms we know of. Although nonliving things may show some of these characteristic traits, only living things show all of them. 1. Organization. Living things are highly organized, meaning they contain specialized, coordinated parts.
1.7: Organization of Living Things
The living world can be organized into different levels. For example, many individual organisms can be organized into the following levels: Cell: Basic unit of structure and function of all living things. Tissue: Group of cells of the same kind. Organ: Structure composed of one or more types of tissues. The tissues of an organ work together to ...
Characteristics of Living Things
At its most fundamental level, a living thing is composed of one or more cells. These units, generally too small to be seen with the naked eye, are organized into tissues. A tissue is a series of cells that accomplish a shared function. Tissues, in turn, form organs, such as the stomach and kidney. A number of organs working together compose an ...
1.7: Themes and Concepts of Biology
All living organisms share several key characteristics or functions: order, sensitivity or response to the environment, reproduction, growth and development, regulation, homeostasis, and energy processing. When viewed together, these eight characteristics serve to define life. Figure 1.7.1 1.7. 1: Multicellular Organisms: A toad represents a ...
Different Ecosystems and Living Things
Living and Nonliving Things. From a biological standpoint, all living things display seven characteristics: movement, respiration, sensitivity, growth, reproduction, excretion, and nutrition (Starr, Taggart, & Evers, 2018). To clarify how these characteristics exactly apply to living organisms, a reference to an earthworm will be given.
Levels of Organization of Living Things
An ecosystem consists of all the living things in a particular area together with the abiotic, non-living parts of that environment such as nitrogen in the soil or rain water. At the highest level of organization (Figure 2), the biosphere is the collection of all ecosystems, and it represents the zones of life on earth. It includes land, water ...
Living things
Living Things Definition. A living thing pertains to any organism or a life form that possesses or shows the characteristics of life or being alive. The fundamental characteristics are as follows: having an organized structure, requiring energy, responding to stimuli and adapting to environmental changes, and being capable of reproduction, growth, movement, metabolism, and death.
PDF Unit 1 Characteristics and classiﬁcation of living organisms
An individual living thing,such as an animal or a plant ,is called an organism.The term 'living organism' is usually used to describe something which displays all the characteristics of living things. This activity should take you about ﬁve to ten minutes. What makes living things different from non-living things? Look at Figure 1.
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is a term used to describe the enormous variety of life on Earth. It can be used more specifically to refer to all of the species in one region or ecosystem. Bio diversity refers to every living thing, including plants, bacteria, animals, and humans. Scientists have estimated that there are around 8.7 million species of plants and animals in existence.
Life
Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from matter that does not. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, organisation, metabolism, growth, adaptation, response to stimuli, and reproduction. All life over time eventually reaches a state of ...
Living Things Essay Examples
Stuck on your essay? Browse essays about Living Things and find inspiration. Learn by example and become a better writer with Kibin's suite of essay help services.
Biology
Biology - Origin, Evolution, Life: If a species can develop only from a preexisting species, then how did life originate? Among the many philosophical and religious ideas advanced to answer that question, one of the most popular was the theory of spontaneous generation, according to which, as already mentioned, living organisms could originate from nonliving matter. With the increasing tempo ...
Essay on Environment for Students and Children
500+ Words Essay on Environment. Essay on Environment - All living things that live on this earth comes under the environment. Whether they live on land or water they are part of the environment. The environment also includes air, water, sunlight, plants, animals, etc. Moreover, the earth is considered the only planet in the universe that ...
Living and Non living Things
All living things breathe, eat, grow, move, reproduce and have senses. Non-living things do not eat, grow, breathe, move and reproduce. They do not have senses. Living things have "life," though some might not show its evident signs. For instance, a tree would probably not react the same way a human would.
Living and Non-Living Things
Living things die due to age, disease or cell death, organ failure, etc. Non-living things never cease to exist unless they are destroyed by an external force. Living things eliminate waste from their body through the process of excretion. Non-living things, neither eat food nor produce waste. Therefore, they do not show the process of excretion.
Eight Brilliant Student Essays on What Matters Most in Life
Like Nancy Hill did in her article "Three Things that Matter Most in Youth and Old Age," I asked Roger, "What are the three most important things to you?". James answered, "My wife Susan, my grandkids, and church.". Roger and Susan served together in the Vietnam war. She was a nurse who treated his cuts and scrapes one day.

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1.7: Themes and Concepts of Biology - Properties of Life

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