Are bacteria considered living or nonliving? Why?

Why are bacteria considered living organisms? Let's examine the seven characteristics that make up a living organism.

Capable of maintaining homeostasis, consisting of one or more cells, carrying out growth, metabolism (catabolism and anabolism), adapting to their surroundings, responding to stimuli, and reproducing.

Yes, bacteria are able to reproduce asexually through binary fission.

Yes, bacteria are capable of carrying out metabolism. Cyanobacteria, for example, are capable of photosynthesis, and many other bacteria are capable of aerobic and anaerobic respiration.

Bacteria only have one cell.

Indeed, growth is a prerequisite for binary fission in bacteria.

Yes, bacteria can respond to stimuli. The phenomenon known as "chemotaxis" describes how bacteria, like E. Coli, have been observed to "swim" in chemical gradients toward attractants like glucose or away from repellents like ethanol.

Yes, bacteria are able to adapt to their surroundings. They possess organelles called fimbriae, which are shorter pili that aid in surface attachment, and pili that carry out conjugation, which aids in the transfer of alleles for antibiotic resistance.

Yes, bacteria carry out homeostasis, and they are helped in this task by organelles like cell walls and membranes. Antibiotics like penicillin function by stopping the formation of cell walls, which makes it impossible for bacteria to maintain homeostasis.

Because they possess every trait associated with life, including cellular organization, metabolism, growth, adaptation, response to stimuli, reproduction, and evolution, bacteria are regarded as living organisms.