What Makes Something Alive? The 7 Characteristics of Life | Middle School Science

What makes a tree alive but a rock not alive? What about fire, viruses, or robots? In this engaging middle school science video, discover the 7 characteristics that scientists use to define life and explore some mind-bending examples that might surprise you!

What You'll Learn: 
✅ The 7 universal characteristics that all living things share 
✅ How scientists distinguish between living and non-living things 
✅ Tricky examples: Are viruses alive? What about fire? 
✅ Why all living things are made of cells (unicellular vs multicellular) 
✅ How living things grow, reproduce, and respond to their environment 
✅ Real-world examples from bacteria to blue whales

Perfect for 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students studying life science and biology. This video aligns with NGSS standard MS-LS1-1 and provides evidence that living things are made of cells. This video also aligns with TEKS 8.7A