A miniature solar system with five Earth-sized planets existed 11 billion years ago, at the dawn of the universe, scientists have discovered.
The planets clustered around a Sun-like star and could point to the existence of life billions of years before the first amoeba existed on our planet.
“There are far-reaching implications for this discovery,” said Dr Tiago Campante, from the University of Birmingham's School of Physics and Astronomy, who led the research.
“We now know that Earth-sized planets have formed throughout most of the Universe's 13.8 billion year history, which could provide scope for the existence of ancient life in the Galaxy.