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General Properties of Living Organisms

For medical students2 min readUpdated 2026-10-10

Through long-term evolution, living organisms have acquired unique qualities that radically distinguish them from the non-living world. A key feature of life is the ability to fully integrate into the pre-existing spacetime continuum of our planet.

Age of the planetEarth formed about 4.5 billion years ago.

First lifePrimitive life forms emerged 0.5–1 billion years ago.

Basic conditionsGravity, gases, temperature, and electromagnetic field.

Important stimuliPeriodically repeating phenomena (seasonal changes, tides).

Integration into the Spacetime Continuum

Life originated significantly later than the planet itself. Since the Earth formed about 4.5 billion years ago, and the first primitive life forms appeared only 0.5–1 billion years ago, the evolution of living matter took place on an already prepared physical "stage".

As a result, living organisms were forced to adapt and organically fit into the existing phenomena of the non-living world. The most important factors that determined the properties of living systems include:

Earth's gravity — shaped musculoskeletal systems and spatial orientation.
Atmospheric gas composition — served as the basis for respiration processes.
Temperature conditions of the air and the World Ocean — set the boundaries for biochemical reactions.
Earth's electromagnetic field — influenced the navigation and biorhythms of organisms.

All these environmental properties were inevitably reflected in the internal biological organization of living beings. In normal physiology, this regularity is known as the Anokhin principle.

Characteristics of the Habitat

According to the concept based on the works of A. Einstein, the environment is not merely a set of objects, but a spacetime continuum of events.

Key features of this environment:

Absence of chaos. All occurring phenomena are closely interconnected both in space and in time.
Structuredness. The environment possesses a clear material and informational organization.
Cosmic dependence. This organization is primarily determined by the ratio of the planets of the Solar System, and mainly by the interaction between the Earth and the Sun.

Episodic and Periodic Phenomena

Events in the surrounding continuum that affect organisms are divided into two main types:

Episodic phenomena. These are events lacking a strict rhythm, such as precipitation or sudden earthquakes.
Periodically repeating phenomena. These are events with a regular, predictable rhythm, such as seasonal changes, ocean tides, and the alternation of day and night.

Biological reflection of phenomena: In their anatomical and physiological organization, living beings have reflected both types of phenomena. However, periodic influences have acquired the most critical and formative significance for vital activity. Those that regularly repeat throughout the lifetime of a single generation are especially important—they form stable biological rhythms and adaptive reactions.

Mnemonic

To remember the Anokhin principle, use the mirror association: a living organism is a biological "mirror" that, during evolution, reflected the physical parameters of the non-living environment (gravity, gases, rhythms).

Frequently asked questions

What fundamental properties of living organisms (homeostasis, irritability, metabolism) are traditionally distinguished in normal physiology?

The main properties and conditions for the existence of living systems include:

Constancy of the chemical composition and structure of the parts of the organism.
Metabolism (metabolism as energy and substance exchange) — the fundamental property of living beings: the conversion of nutrients into tissue components and metabolic end products, accompanied by the absorption and release of energy.
Irritability — the property to respond to external or internal influences; underlies the adaptation of organisms to changing environmental conditions.
Self-reproduction (reproduction) — ensures the continuity of life; associated with the formation of new molecules and structures based on DNA genetic information.
Heredity — the property to transmit traits and developmental features across generations.
Variability — the property to acquire new traits during individual development depending on environmental conditions.
Growth and development — based on the DNA genetic program; include individual development (ontogeny) and historical development (phylogeny).
Discreteness — the property whereby a biological system consists of separate yet interacting parts.

What is the anticipatory reflection of reality within the framework of Anokhin's concepts?

Anticipatory reflection of reality is a fundamental property of living matter, consisting in the organism's ability to respond to external influences faster than they unfold in real time.

Essence of the phenomenon — the ability of living objects to foresee surrounding events and anticipate their sequence.
Conditions of formation — primarily related to periodically repeating influences on the organism.
Physiological basis — closely linked to the signaling significance of conditioned stimuli.
Molecular mechanism — each environmental impact leaves corresponding molecular changes (traces) in the organism, preparing it for future events.

Into which specific classes (types) are biological rhythms formed under the influence of periodic factors divided?

Depending on the duration of the period, biological rhythms are divided into two main groups: short-term and long-term periodicity.

Short-term periodicity biorhythms — last fractions of a second (nerve cell impulses), seconds (cardiac cycle, respiration), and minutes (hunger gastric peristalsis).
Long-term periodicity biorhythms — include the following types:
Diadian (circadian) — driven by the alternation of day and night, repeating in periods close to 24 hours.
Monthly (selenic, circaseptan/circatrigintan) — close to 28 days, corresponding to the Moon's orbital period.
Annual (circannual) — close to 365 days, the period of Earth's revolution around the Sun.
Multi-year (heliobiological) — driven by the 11-year solar activity cycle.

What is the essence of the Anokhin principle?

The principle states that the properties of the environment in which evolution took place are directly reflected in the biological and physiological properties of living organisms.

Which environmental phenomena are considered most important for vital activity?

Periodically repeating phenomena (such as the alternation of day and night, and seasons) that affect the organism throughout the lifetime of a single generation are of particular importance.

How does physiology describe the habitat?

The habitat is viewed as a spacetime continuum of events possessing material and informational organization, rather than as a chaotic set of elements.

Go deeper

Mechanisms of organism adaptation to Earth's gravity
Influence of the electromagnetic field on physiological processes
Physiological reactions to episodic phenomena (stress factors)
Formation of biorhythms under the influence of periodic phenomena
Role of atmospheric gas composition in the evolution of respiratory systems