Life is defined as the state of organisms that have organic processes like signaling and self-maintenance. There are many forms of life including plants, animals, fungi, protists, archaea, and bacteria. Biology studies life. While there is no consensus on a definition, life is generally defined as organisms that maintain homeostasis, are made of cells, have a lifecycle, undergo metabolism, can develop and adapt, respond to stimuli, reproduce, and evolve. The earliest life forms on Earth were microorganisms that appeared around 4.28 billion years ago. Life likely descended from an RNA world and may have developed the ability to undergo biological electron transfer from minerals.