How asteroid belts could help us spot extra-terrestrial life

-Asteroid collisions could kickstart evolution by forcing species to adapt.

-Our own solar system contains a belt which is just in the right place.

-However, such formations are found in only a 'tiny fraction' of star systems.

Asteroid belts like the one in our own solar system may be the key to tracking down life elsewhere in the universe, a new theory proposes.
An emerging view proposes that asteroid collisions with planets may provide a boost to the birth and evolution of complex, intelligent life.
This might sound surprising; asteroids are generally known - and feared for - for their potential to trigger mass extinctions after catastrophic impacts with our own planet.

[link to www.dailymail.co.uk]