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LIFE AND NON-LIFE





  Take a piece of salt harvested from ocean.  It  basically has cubical shape.  It is made up of sodium chloride molecules(NaCl).  The sodium and chlorine atoms are joined by ionic bond.  They are alternately arranged in rows, into planes and take the shape of cube.  We know sodium and chlorine are atoms that are made up of protons, neutrons and electrons.  Now they say, protons and neutrons are built from the particles called quarks.  

      Hence all non-life matters are made from fundamental particles like electron, proton etc,.  The particles constitute themselves into atoms.  Atoms are binded together to form molecules.  Molecules arranged themselves into some shapes or go shapeless like liquid and gas.  

      Life starts from non-life.  The atoms of some elements particularly carbon and hydrogen form complicated molecules.  The different set of molecules make plant or animal cells.  Collections of cells make tissues.  Then organs are constructed from cells and tissues.  The organs are made into life forms according to the blue print stored in their DNA.  The main organ brain activates, controls and monitors the life form(men and animals) by sending signals to other organs.  The life is born, lives, grows, multiplies and dies.  Once again it becomes non-life.

      Virus stays in the border between life and non-life.  When it is dead, it is like a salt particles.  But, if we put it in the water, it springs to life, multiplies and infects the host life.  Virus is a natural enigma.  

      Long dead animals and plants becomes stones(fossils).  It is reported that humans had turned 'stone like' due to volcanic eruption.  

 I want to end this piece by couple of lines from a poem.

  A river says:
"Men (life) may come , 
   men may go,
   but I (non-life) will go on for ever".

 Science update:  Stephen hawking plans a space voyage on Branson's virgin galactic. 
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