Matter

Living things like humans and animals interact with external environment using the basic 5 sense organs. Skin (Touch), Tongue (Taste), Nose (Smell), Ears (Sound) and Eyes (Light).

In fact, life seems to a sequence of responses to external and internal events. Sense organs seem to play a very important role. We shall look at the need and evolution of sense organs and subsequently about matter; the stuff rocks, plants, animals and the whole of this diversity made of.

Need and Evolution of Sense Organs: 

Touch: An organism has to get in contact with other to sense it.

Taste: Once the touch happens, the sense of taste would give an indication of whether it can be consumed or not.

Smell: Touch and Taste would require physical contact. Smell could be used to sense an object even without touching

Sound: Similar to smell, sound can be used to recognize an object even without touching. However, sound can travel greater distance, faster (330m/s in air) and is based on the principle of vibration of molecules.  kindly refer to this article for significance of vibrations. 

Light: Similar to sound, light can travel much much farther, faster (3x10^8m/s) and is also based vibration of electrons (electromagnetic waves). Touch, Taste, Smell and Taste require another object or medium. But light can travel through vacuum. Reason why we can see far off objects like planets and stars.

How do Plants interact with environment?

Plants do not have sense organs similar to humans and animals. However, they respond to gravity, light, sound (vibrations), chemicals at  molecular and cellular level.  

https://www.bbvaopenmind.com/en/science/bioscience/the-senses-of-plants/

How do bacteria communicate with the environment?

Bacteria seem to communicate using molecules. termed quorum sensing.

Having understood the need for sense organs, let us explore what is matter made of?  what are the building Blocks of Nature?

We, Humans deciphered matter from the 3 element model (Vatha, Pitha, Kapha), then the 5 element model (Air, Fire, Water, Earth and Sky) and after ages we landed into the periodic table.

The interesting thing is all of these basic elements in periodic table is made of just 3 particles (based on particle physics). 

These particles themselves are based on vibrations. The world of quantum vibrations.

The combination of electrons, protons and neutrons are called atoms.

Now, what are molecules and how are they made? 

The last column (number 18 on top) are termed noble gases and they do not interact with any other element (also referred to as atom). They do not interact with other elements as have sufficient number of electrons in the outer most orbit. its called an octet rule. The outermost orbit should have 8 electrons.

The common salt. NaCl. Is a combination of sodium (Na) and chlorine (Cl). Na is in column 1, Cl is in column 1(7).  Column number indicates the number of electrons . 

All of us tend to become noble (contented). On a similar note, since sodium has only one electron in the outer most shell it has 2 choices. To get 7 more electrons to become noble or lose that one electron to become noble. loosing one seems to be easier than gaining 7.

Chlorine has 7 seven electrons and it requires just one more electron to become noble. 

So, for Na and Cl should come into an agreement. Na shall donate 1 electron and chlorine shall accept that electron. But in this process the atoms are no more electrically neutral. One becomes negatively charged and the other becomes positively charged. Negative and Positive charges attract and come together to form a single molecule. NaCl. An atom by default is electrically neutral. But when they are not electrically neutral, the atoms are called ions. Hence, this type of molecule formation is termed as ionic bonds.

Philosophically speaking, in trying to become noble, both these atoms loose their identity and become a something else.

How are molecules like CO2 formed?

Carbon dioxide is not formed based on ionic bonds. They do not donate or gain and electron. They just share electrons between each other. The concept of sharing electrons is termed valence bonding.

One of the ways atoms form molecules by sharing (bonding) is under specific temperature & pressure and the other by means of microorganisms.

How was the first cell formed out of molecules?

Abiogenesis is the term used to describe the process of how molecules get together to form cells.

So, life seems to be all about electrons, atoms, molecules, cells, organs and the way the interact with each other.