Intro to Anatomy 1: Life, Organization, and Terminology

Characteristics of Living Things:

6.) Growth:

All organisms grow. That is, they take in matter and use it to make themselves larger. Of course, lots of things grow. Clouds grow as they accumulate moisture; crystals grow as they accumulate new matrix material; planets grow as their gravity attracts comets and asteroids. What distinguishes the growth of living organisms is that they take non-living matter into themselves and chemically convert it into living material.

All living organisms grow during their lives.