In an interview with Astrobiology Magazine, Philip Ball recently discussed his thoughts on the role of liquid water for life on Earth and on other worlds. Liquid water is a universal solvent, a mediator of life's chemical reactions, and it has a structure unlike that of any other liquid. Philip Ball, author of the book, " Life's Matrix: A Biography of Water," says that liquid water is essential for the kind of delicate chemistry that makes life possible. Solid water can't act as a lubricant for the molecular processes of life, so the search is on for liquid water - a commodity that is far more rare in the universe. One of NASA's guiding policies in the search for alien life is to " follow the water." Water is fairly common in the universe, found everywhere from vast interstellar dust clouds to the orange-red fields of Mars, but most of this water is in the form of ice. Water (Dihydrogen Oxide, H2O) is a truly remarkable chemical compound and is fundamental to life on Earth.
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