"We would have loved to find that Venus was once a planet much closer to our own, so it’s kind of sad in a way to find out that it wasn’t."

Earth is an ocean world, with water covering about 71% of its surface. Venus, our closest planetary neighbor, is sometimes called Earth's twin based on their similar size and rocky composition. While its surface is baked and barren today,

Our sister planet is thought to have once been a habitable world, but a new study could change that narrative and alter the search for life.

Astronomers have speculated for decades that Venus could once have been remarkably similar to Earth – and might have been able to support life like our own planet