The widely believed claim, repeated in the first paragraph— that the gas giants are “protecting inner solar system worlds” is not necessarily true. Though hea

The widely believed claim, repeated in the first paragraph— that the gas giants are “protecting inner solar system worlds” is not necessarily true. Though heavier planets are more likely to be hit they also serve to attract more matter into the region — some of which hits other planets. Some well regarded models show that it’s approximately break-even… the losses and the wins cancel each other out. And in some runs of the simulation, if we’re unlucky, the losses greatly outweigh the wins. I provide no reference to these claims, as I’m typing this from memory, with patchy internet, and leave it to y’all.