Re: Is dried yeast living or nonliving?

The answer to your question is, "sort of". The freeze-dried yeast that you can buy in the grocery store is in a state of suspended animation. Technically, it is not alive since it has been dehydrated (all the water removed) and it is carrying out no metabolic activities. Yeast are hardy creatures, so they can remain in this state for literally years. When you add water, they re-start their metabolic activities and once again begin to grow and divide; they are now alive. Many bacteria can also survive long periods in a freeze-dried state. Probably one of the reasons these types of cells can do this is that they have cell walls, which provides considerable protection and durability.