Hunt for life should search for minerals as well as water, Chinese scientists claim

In the search for extraterrestrial life Chinese scientists have come up with a new idea: instead of looking for water, they suggest searching for minerals called serpentines to uncover clues about habitable worlds.

‘Space Agencies [look for] a specific diagnostic that has an important role in life, with “following the water” being the most famous – but by no means the only – indication,’ writes the team led by Wei Lin and Jianxun Shen of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. ‘The use of only one life-essential element has limitations.’