Here's why:

* The 8 characteristics of life are:

* Organization: Living things are highly organized, with specialized parts working together.

* Metabolism: They carry out chemical reactions to obtain and use energy.

* Homeostasis: They maintain a stable internal environment.

* Growth and Development: They increase in size and complexity over time.

* Reproduction: They produce offspring.

* Response to stimuli: They react to changes in their environment.

* Adaptation: They evolve over generations to better suit their environment.

* Genetic material: They contain DNA or RNA as their genetic blueprint.

* Mitosis is a specific process of cell division. It's how living organisms grow and repair tissues.

Therefore, mitosis is a process that helps living organisms fulfill some of their characteristics (growth and development), but it's not a characteristic of life itself.