Merriam Webster defines "life" as:
1.a : the quality that distinguishes a vital and functional being from a dead body b : a principle or force that is considered to underlie the distinctive quality of animate beings c : an organismic state characterized by capacity for metabolism, growth, reaction to stimuli, and reproduction
As an English major, I tend to enjoy and agree with the definitions provided in the dictionary. This definition leaves the existence of a prion as "life" up to interpretation however. A prion does not have DNA nor RNA. They do however reproduce and somewhat grow, at an exponential rate. Because of their consistency as a protein, and not a free moving and animated being, I would not necessarily place them into the "life" category.
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