A trampoline effect occurring in the stages of planetary reseeding

TL;DR

This paper explores the concept that impact events on Earth can cause a 'trampoline effect', potentially leading to the reseeding of life through material ejected and returned after impacts, influencing planetary evolution.

Contribution

It introduces the 'trampoline effect' hypothesis, suggesting impacts can facilitate the return of life-harboring material to Earth, supporting planetary reseeding theories.

Findings

Impacts can eject material that may carry viable organisms.

Ejected material can return to Earth, potentially reseeding life.

The trampoline effect influences planetary recovery and evolution.

Abstract

Impactors have hit the Earth since its formation and have continued to be infrequent guests throughout the Earth's history. Although the early part of the Earth's history was marked by these violent events, life was present early, possibly existing already in the Hadean Eon. It is possible that life has been, and still is, transported between the worlds of the solar system, owing to impacts leading material away from the impact region. Beyond this lithopanspermia theory, in the in the so-called refugium hypothesis, ejected material has been suggested to also return to its home planet and 'reseed' life after the world has recovered after a global impactor, thus restarting evolution.In addition to such impactors, more frequent impacts from smaller non-sterilizing impactors existed during the Heavy Bombardment epoch, feeding material potentially harbouring viable organisms into near Earth space.