How Life and Luck Changed Earth’s Minerals, Bob Hazen in WIRED

Are today’s minerals a predictable consequence of the planet’s chemical makeup? Or are they the result of chance events? What if we were to look out at the cosmos and spot another Earth-like planet—would we expect its gemstones to match ours, or would they shine with a luster never seen before? WIRED Magazine profile's Bob Hazen's mineral evolution and mineral ecology research. More