Early in its history, Earth experienced a pounding from extraterrestrial impacts. But instead of sterilizing the planet, it allowed microbial life to persist, according to numerical models of Earth's crust.
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Rothschild, L. Life battered but unbowed. Nature 459, 335–336 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1038/459335a
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/459335a