To add to my point (I am admin too by the way) I think a living thing is composed of smaller things living in a cooperative arrangement.

From molecules we get organized molecules (DNA???)

From organized molucules we get cells.

From organized cells we get organs.

From organized organs we get us.

I may have missed a few steps, but you get the jist of this I'm sure.

Let's take this further, if I may.

From organized people, we get societies.

A Society is a living thing too, I suppose, since it is composed of smaller things.

One rule common to all above is that the large unit can tolerate the death of a component and live on.

Our own bodies are composed of many cells which are born, live and die thousands of times before we die. I think the brain cells actually live as long as we do, but blood cells are regularly changed. In essence, we are composed of replacable parts that support the existence of the whole.

A battleship is composed of hundreds of people of differeing abilities that work together to make that one ship work. The brain is the captain I guess.
If one human dies on this ship, it continues on by replacing the person with one of similar or identical training.

A battle group is composed of many ships with different abilities working together as an effective fighting force. Sinking one ship does not kill the group.

And on and on and on...

The point is the scale of life ranges from the very small collection of molecules to collections of large things beyond the confines of tissue and saltwater.

I am sure you all get the point I am making here. Do you think it a stretch to qualify life beyond tissue and saltwater?

John