Stellar chemical signatures of planet formation

We have discovered a characteristic fingerprint of planet formation. This signature, which lies in the chemical composition of the Sun and other stars, was only revealed by our unprecedentedly accurate analysis. Our pioneering study has opened a new observational window and offers the truly enthralling prospect of finding stars likely to harbour planets, perhaps even terrestrial planets like our Earth, purely from the chemical compositions of the host stars. We will extend this exciting discovery to 10,000 stars using a new $10M Australian instrument and the world's most powerful telescopes. Finally, we will improve our already unrivalled work on the solar chemical composition, essential for understanding the origin of our solar system.