Name:___________________________________________________________________________
Objective: To identify observable characteristics of life in videos of various organisms and describe those characteristics.
Directions:
1. On the data table, click on the Category name C. elegans.
2. Read the introduction, then play the video.
3. Fill in the characteristics of life that you observe.
4. Describe the observed characteristics.
5. Take turns writing answers with your partner. The person writing an answer should write their initials on the line of the
category box.
6. Repeat steps #1-5 for the remaining seven organisms in the data table.
Characteristics of Life Data Table
Category
C. elegans
(Caenorhabditis elegans)
Video: Moving C. elegans
Initials:
____
Sea Urchins
(Lytechinus pictus)
Characteristics of Life:
-movement
-growth and development
-response to stimuli
(homeostasis)
-reproduction/heredity
-use of energy (metabolism)
-cellular structure
1. Movement
Description of Observed Characteristics (Write in
full sentences for each observed characteristic.)
2. Use of energy
2. The food is a source of energy.
3. Reproduction
3. Their eggs are visible.
1.
1.
2.
2.
1.
1.
2.
2.
1.
1.
2.
2.
3.
3.
1. The worms crawl to locate their food.
Video: Sea urchin cell division
Initials: ____
Sea Urchins
(Lytechinus pictus)
Video: Sea urchin fertilization
Initials: ____
Blood Cells
Video: Human white blood
cells
Initials: ____
Exploratorium Microscope Imaging Station
Observing the Characteristics of Life
Cellular Structure and
Function
1.
1.
2.
2.
Stem Cells
1.
1.
Videos: Compare Mouse
embryonic stem cells—movie 1
with Heart cells grown from
mouse embryonic stem cells—
movie 1
2.
Video: Elodea leaf cells
Initials: ____
Initials: ____
Cell Motility
2.
3.
3.
1.
1.
2.
2.
1.
1.
2.
2.
3.
3.
4.
4.
Video: Crawling Amoeba
Initials: ____
Zebrafish
(Danio rerio)
Video: Zebrafish development
Initials: ____
Questions: On a separate sheet of paper, answer the following sentences using paragraph format.
1. ____ Do you think that all characteristics of life must be present in order for something to be alive?
Why or why not?
2. ____ Do you think it is possible for something to be alive without being able to observe one or more
characteristics of life? Why or why not?
3. ____ Do you think all scientists agree on a common list of characteristics of life? Why or why not?
4. ____ Are there characteristics of life not covered in this activity? Explain your answer.
5. ____ Did you learn something new from this activity? Explain your answer.
Exploratorium Microscope Imaging Station
Observing the Characteristics of Life