Is Fire Alive?

This is an inside joke for biologists because fire meets most, but not all requirements of standard Earth life as we know it.

• Responsiveness to the environment? (if you poke it, it will spark.)
• Growth and change? (If you feed it, it will grow.)
• Ability to reproduce? (If you light a torch, it will burn separately even after the main source has burnt out, so technically that counts.)
• Have a metabolism and breathe? (It does utilize oxygen and burn fuel.)
• Maintain homeostasis? (This is the kicker, since…