1. Organization: Living things are highly organized, with cells as their basic unit. They exhibit increasing levels of complexity, from cells to tissues, organs, organ systems, and finally the whole organism.

2. Metabolism: All living organisms carry out chemical reactions to obtain and use energy for growth, repair, and other life processes. This includes processes like photosynthesis, respiration, and digestion.

3. Growth: Living things increase in size and complexity over time. This can be due to the increase in the number of cells or the size of individual cells.

4. Adaptation: Living organisms have the ability to change over time in response to their environment. This allows them to survive and reproduce in changing conditions.

5. Response to Stimuli: Living things can detect and respond to changes in their environment. This includes things like light, temperature, chemicals, and physical contact.

6. Reproduction: Living organisms create new individuals of the same kind. This can be done through sexual or asexual reproduction.

7. Homeostasis: Living things maintain a stable internal environment despite changes in the external environment. This includes regulating things like temperature, pH, and water balance.

8. Evolution: Living things evolve over generations, leading to changes in their characteristics and adaptations. This is a gradual process driven by natural selection.