A significant existential threat to life on Earth comes from cosmic impacts, particularly from asteroids or comets. A collision with a sizable object could lead to mass extinction, potentially even sterilizing the planet. Historically, it was believed that Jupiter protects Earth by absorbing these threats, as it experiences more collisions. However, recent insights reveal that Jupiter actually raises the likelihood of such impacts occurring on Earth. The extinction event that wiped out the dinosaurs, for instance, may have been influenced by Jupiter's gravitational pull, not its protective characteristics.
Jupiter's presence actually makes these collisions far more likely on Earth, and there's more than a 70% chance that the K-Pg extinction wouldn't have occurred without Jupiter.
In the worst-case scenario, a cosmic impact could completely sterilize a living world, bringing an end to a multi-billion year chain of life.
Most famously, 65 million years ago, a large asteroid impacted Earth, causing the 5th great mass extinction since the Cambrian explosion and wiping out 70% of all terrestrial species.
Conventional wisdom has long been that Jupiter acts as a cosmic shield for Earth, but in reality, its gravity attracts more objects into potential collision courses.
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