The account of Eve is an interesting and important segment of our genetic history. The Bible says that God put Adam into a deep sleep, took one of Adam’s ribs, and made a woman (Genesis 2:21-22). Adam named her Eve and proclaimed that she was “bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh” (Genesis 2:23-24).

So, how does modern science line up with this account? First of all, does the man’s rib contain enough genetic information to make a woman. The answer is “yes,” Adam’s ribs contained many copies of the genetic information required to make a woman. However, it is interesting to note that if the first human were a woman, her rib would not contain enough information to make a man. This is because women do not have the y-chromosome. So, if the Bible stated that the woman was created first and man was formed from her rib, the Bible would be in error; but, the Bible got it right and stands true. This all seems elementary to us now, but remember that the scriptures were given to us long before any discoveries of the workings of genetics and DNA.

It follows, from both a Biblical and genetic perspective, that Eve was Adam’s feminine identical twin. When Adam said that Eve was “bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh” (Genesis 2:23-24), he was confirming this point. Is this possible? Can there be male/female identical twins? Yes, it is possible: if a geneticist takes two identical twin embryos and genetically engineers them so one has two X chromosomes and the other has one X and one Y chromosomes, the resulting two humans will be identical male/female twins. Although rare, there are natural occurrences of male/female identical. For further information on this, just do an internet search on “male/female identical twins.”

A common question to this notion of Adam and Eve being identical male/female twins is: “If Adam and Eve were identical twins, wouldn’t all their children also be identical to Adam and/or Eve?” The answer to this question is “No.” Adam and Eve were identical twins and they each had two copies of every gene: one dominant and one recessive gene. Due to a biological process called “meiosis,” these genes were shuffled differently for each of their children, so the chances of a child having identical DNA to Adam and/or Eve is one out of a number too big to print on this page. This process of meiosis is easily understood, just search on “meiosis” and you will find many videos and detailed explanations.

In addition, it is the consensus of both creation and secular scientists that all humans presently on earth come from one woman: “Eve” (creationists) and “Mitochondrial Eve” (secular scientists).

Genesis 3:20 And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.

In conclusion, Eve’s genetic heritage is a fascinating bit of our history that helps us understand our origins. It also demonstrates the convergence of modern science with Biblical truth.

Key words: Genesis and genetics, Eve’s DNA, Adam and Eve, marriage of identical twins, identical male female twins

The Bible is clear: shortly after the creation, man sinned and became extremely wicked, so wicked that God was sorry He had made man. Then, God caused a great flood, destroying all mankind with the exception of Noah and his family. We are not sure how many souls died in this global flood, but suspect that it was many. A common question is, why is there no fossil evidence of those killed in the flood? There is fossil evidence of dinosaurs, mammoths, fish, vegetation, mosquitoes, and even raindrops, so why not evidence of the humans who died in the flood ? The answer to this question is simple and right before us: there is fossil evidence of humans dying in the flood; these humans are what are presently referred to as Neanderthal man; Neanderthal man meets the Biblical criteria for those who died in the flood very nicely.

There is no question that Neanderthal man lived on earth. Many partial skeletons have been found which have provided the scientific community with credible DNA sequences. These sequences reveal a small, but distinct genetic difference between the Neanderthal and modern man; this difference is approximately 1.3 percent in the mitochondrial DNA. If we examine the scriptures in Genesis and join them with the fossil and DNA evidence, we can explain this distinct genetic difference between Neanderthal and modern man.

Looking at the Biblical account of the flood, we find that there were sudden major changes to the environment and ecosystems. The entire earth was flooded which resulted in a change to the atmosphere which, in turn, resulted in a new ecosystem, no longer able to support huge dinosaurs with small nostrils and dragonflies with over 2 foot wingspans. Also, concerning humans, we know they lived much shorter lives after the flood as clearly documented in Genesis chapter 11. And, at the disembarkation from the Ark, God announced that He would allow the eating of meat. All of this leads us to realize that these significant changes would require a genetic reset of DNA. This genetic reset, which was executed by God, Himself, explains the distinct genetic differences between modern man and those before the flood, whom we have concluded are Neanderthals. Neanderthal fossils reveal that Neanderthal had larger brains than modern man, better bone structure, stronger teeth, better bites (occlusion), fewer genetic mutations (disease), and longer lifespan. For more details and references please read Genetics of Kinds and/or Neanderthal’s Identity.

Accepting Neanderthal man as those living before the flood, opens many doors and solves many mysteries such as: where does Neanderthal fit into the Bible’s history of man? Why are Neanderthals found in so many diverse locations? Why was Neanderthal physically superior to modern man? Why Neanderthal DNA is found in modern man? etc. Also, Neanderthal’s DNA has the potential of providing us with some secrets for improved health and long life.

The account of Noah’s Ark is central to our faith. It shows that God has power and authority over all creation and all life. He used his power and authority in a spectacular way: a global flood. This global flood is explained in detail in the book of Genesis. One point of curiosity is: how did God keep so many animals alive for so long  on the Ark? In this blog, we will look at what we know about the Ark and God’s toolbox to see if we can solve this mystery.

If one studies the detailed description of the Ark, with three decks and one window, it first appears that the Ark was best suited for growing mushrooms. However, we know God wanted to deliver more than mushrooms to the new world, and we know that God understands perfectly His creation and He is the author of life. Indeed, He delivered all those on the Ark to the new world without losing one (Genesis 8:18,19 ); and, amazingly, they were on the Ark for over a year. To do this took divine wisdom , but how did God chose to do it?

First of all, the name Noah means quiet, rest, and comfort. This may be a key. Maybe the voyage of Noah’s Ark was quiet, restful, and comforting. Maybe the creatures were put in some sort of trance or sleep.  If we check the Bible, we see that God has something in His toolbox that would accomplish this, and that is “Deep Sleep,” in Hebrew,  tardemah. We see tardemah used several times: once for alleviating pain, when Adam had his rib removed to form Eve (Genesis 2:21); once for revealing the future to Abraham, as he was entering into a new covenant with God (Genesis 15:12); and, once for protecting prey from the predator, when Saul and his army of 3000 had David surrounded (1 Samuel 26:12).  The Ark had all three of these needs: (1) God needed to prepare the creation physically for the new ecosystem which included eating meat, shorter life expectancy, and a different climate; (2) God was initiating a new covenant and needed to brief the creation on what to expect as well as comfort them; and, (3) He needed to protect the prey from the predators. It all fits and make sense. Not only did the deep sleep suit these needs, but also solved all the problems concerning workload, air quality, fresh water and food requirements, light, and space.

Even though the Ark carried many creatures, the Ark would have been quiet, and peaceful, and restful, just like the meaning of Noah’s name. So, here we can see a comforting picture: Noah’s Ark on the ocean with all the creatures asleep, knowing that they would be delivered safely to the new world, the new ecosystem, and the new covenant. When the time was right to disembark from the Ark, they would go their separate ways, and, for the first time, see the rainbow of promise.

For references and technical information, please read  Genetics of Kinds