Scientists have debated the definition of life for decades, but they still lack a consensus on the answer. Experts believe that "edge cases" make life difficult to define and blur boundaries across ...

A central question of astrobiology concerns the origin and distribution of life in the Universe. For this reason, astrobiology can be considered to fall within the science called transitional biology.

What is life? Like most great questions, this one is easy to ask but difficult to answer. Scientists have been trying for centuries, and philosophers have done so for millennia. Today our knowledge is ...

I have noticed that the abortion debate always gets locked up on the definition of when life begins. I think that the definition of life and the definition of death are dependent on each other. I also ...

Amid the heat generated by constitutional review debates, sobriety should prevail at all times to enact a constitution that will be widely embraced and withstand the test of time. The current efforts ...

Within a tiny plankton, an even smaller cell has been found living an unexpectedly virus-like existence, challenging what it means to be alive. The line between living and inanimate has traditionally ...

This story is a collaboration between Science Friday and KHN. It was written by Sarah Varney. Credit: Eric Harkleroad, KHN illustration; Getty Images; Unsplash. As life-preserving medical technology ...