What do you mean by “by definition” in that first sentence?
Like, if it failed to do so, it would fail the definition of life? I don’t think anyone defines life that way, and I don’t think it would be a good definition (would I even count as alive under such a definition? It seems like no.)
I think of life as dynamic. There are limits of course - it's taken billions of years for life to operate in the vacuum of space but it really does seem like part of the definition life should be that it spreads. I'm confident that you too move around.
Like, if it failed to do so, it would fail the definition of life? I don’t think anyone defines life that way, and I don’t think it would be a good definition (would I even count as alive under such a definition? It seems like no.)