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This question brings up another question, not related to the state of matter but to classification in science. In discussing the definition of what is living a group of 11-13 year olds and I wrestled with the questions: 'Is soil living or non-living?' 'Are viruses living or non-living'? At the end of 90 minutes of discussion what emerged was: while classification allows us to study things in a systematic manner, predict properties and behaviour (or reactions), can it be fluid? how will this fluidity allow us to identify life forms that have not been recorded before or provide explanations about new observations.