Astronomers have discovered the first signs that tiny red dwarf stars can devour their own planets.

Scientists had previously suspected that red dwarfs , which are considerably smaller and dimmer than the sun , could consume their own planetary systems — but evidence has been elusive. Until now, that is.

Researchers have used data from the Gaia-ESO Spectroscopic (GES) survey to discover red dwarfs with a high lithium content. This is unexpected, as red dwarfs shouldn't contain any lithium at all — unless they have gathered it by feasting on their home planets.

"Because these low-mass stars should have depleted all their lithium, the addition of even a trace from their forming planetary systems is readily seen — like throwing paint onto a completely blank canvas," team leader Robin Jeffries from Keele University said in a statement .

Though red dwarfs only possess between 8% and 60% of the mass of the sun, and are thus much cooler than our star , they are believed to harbor incredibly hot and violent…