Earth’s ‘older cousin’ found

An “older cousin” of Earth has been discovered orbiting a distant sun-like star more than 1,000 light years away.

The world is 60% larger than Earth and lies in the star’s “habitable zone” — the orbital region where temperatures are mild enough to be suitable for life.

No one knows if life has evolved on the planet, Kepler-452b. However, since the parent star is 1.5bn years older than the sun, any creatures living there could be far more advanced than they are on Earth.