> Life's two most fundamental properties are homeostasis and reproduction. > The loss of these two combined with its parasitic nature makes this cell a form on

> Life's two most fundamental properties are homeostasis and reproduction. > The loss of these two combined with its parasitic nature makes this cell a form on non-life. This is a decidedly Eukaryote-centric take. Homeostasis in higher mammals is a complex network of genes -> RNA -> proteins -> metabolic pathways Reproduction is also far more simple in organisms with binary fission cellular division. A more appropriate scientific term would be obligate commensalism vs. "parasitic". That actually encapsulates their need for metabolic precursors from the host, but allows for tRNA, rRNA, origin of replication, etc...present in the organism's genome.