Macau University of Science and Technology (MUST) opened on Tuesday an astrobiology and cosmochemistry laboratory, the first such lab in China, Ponto Final reports.

The Macao Portuguese-language newspaper quotes the head of astrobiology at MUST, Portuguese researcher André Antunes, as saying the lab will be used for the study of the limits of life on Planet Earth, to give an idea of where else to look for life.

Researchers will be able to study environments on Earth where conditions are similar to those found on Mars or in oceans on moons such as Europa, to collect information crucial for future Chinese space missions, Ponto Final quotes Mr Antunes as saying.

In July the Portuguese news agency, Lusa, quoted Mr Antunes as saying the State Reference Laboratory for Lunar and Planetary Science at MUST was preparing to study salt pans in Cabo Verde and in the salt pans of the central Portuguese district of Aveiro.