Issue October 2011

category image Volume 29
No. 2 (p 251-423)
October 2011
ISSN 0739-1102

Open Access

Vocabulary of Definitions of Life Suggests a Definition

Analysis of the vocabulary of 123 tabulated definitions of life reveals nine groups of defining terms (definientia) of which the groups (self-)reproduction and evolution (variation) appear as the minimal set for a concise and inclusive definition: Life is self-reproduction with variations.

Key words: Consensus; Definientia; Evolution; Origin of life; Self-reproduction; Variations; Vocabulary.

This article can be cited as:
Edward N. Trifonov. Vocabulary of Definitions of Life Suggests a Definition. J. Biomol Struct Dyn 29(2) 259-266 (2011).

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Edward N. Trifonov1,2

1Genome Diversity Center, Institute of Evolution, University of Haifa, Mount Carmel, Haifa 31905, Israel
2Department of Functional Genomics and Proteomics, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlarska 2, CZ-61137 Brno, Czech Republic

Phone: +972 4 828 8096
Fax: +972 4 824 6554
E-mail: trifonov@research.haifa.ac.il

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