What is life, at a molecular level?

Question

If I had a microscope that could see atoms and molecules, how far out would I need to zoom before I could tell I was looking at life?

I’ve heard things like “people are 70% water” but water is not alive.

I’m asking in chemistry because I’m not sure if life at a molecular level is considered biology.

In: Chemistry

Answer 1

Unless you have a super fancy million dollar microscope, most biological processes need to be stopped in order to observe under a regular microscope. It’s usually the stains, fixatives and impregnation that enable the visibility that shut down these very processes.