60 WHAT IS LIFE 



2. Reproduction. A detached piece of the parent 

 organism (or organisms) is the beginning of the new 

 individual. Reproduction is effected in numerous 

 ways; but from the simple division of the unnucleated 

 speck of protoplasm, a division that is closely re- 

 lated to nutrition and that seems to result merely 

 from redundant growth, through all forms of vege- 

 table and animal life; and whether asexual or sexual 

 or induced through physicochemical means (arti- 

 ficial parthenogenesis), reproduction basically is the 

 same in all. 



3. The relative stability of the organism in that 

 autolysis does not take place during life (but does 

 set in immediately after death) — the stability that 

 is characteristic of and synonymous with the living 

 state. The stability that ends with death, and that 

 prompts the questions: What is Life? What is 

 Death? 



4. The psychic properties of organisms, not found 

 in the lifeless world, and ranging from mere sen- 

 sation of lowly life-forms to the psychic faculties 

 of man. 



Besides these major peculiarities of the organism, 

 a number of conspicuous and significant minor 

 peculiarities distinguish the organic from the inor- 

 ganic. Characteristic of organic substances is the 

 heavy molecule, some substances having prodi- 



