Category Archives: History

Finding Ham, Shem, and Japheth via Y-Chromosome DNA

May 3, 2021Creation, History, Religion, Science

At Genesis and Genetics, we have examined Y-chromosome genomes searching for Noah and his three sons, Ham, Japheth, and Shem. They were easy to find. According to our analysis, if you have the rs17306671 Y-chromosome mutation nucleotide A you are from Shem. If you have the rs9786139 Y-chromosome mutation nucleotide A you are from Ham. If you have the rs3900 Y-chromosome mutation nucleotide G you are from Japheth. If you are a woman, you will have to check your father’s y-chromosome since women don’t have the y-chromosome.

The following presents the easy-to-follow logic and analysis which anyone can repeat. Our findings are consistent with the Bible and modern science raw data.

Here is a bit of background: Y-chromosome DNA is exclusively found in males; it is inherited from one’s father. The Y-chromosome has approximately 60 million base pairs, each of which is subject to mutations. Mutations develop in the Y-chromosome, typically at the rate of 2 mutations per generation. This is based on a mutation rate of 1.0*10^-9 mutations /nucleotide/year (Reference 1) and 30 years per generation. These mutations allow us to track ancestry. If one man populated all the earth, all males would have his Y-chromosome, and if this man had two sons, one would expect that roughly half of the world would have one son’s mutations and the other half would have the other son’s mutations. Furthermore, if our original ancestor had 10 grandsons, one would expect that each grandson would have mutations that would each exist in approximately 10 percent of the male population. Successive generations would continue to generate new mutations that would form a human family tree, known as a phylogenetic tree to geneticists.

In our research, we used the above principles in tracking our most ancient ancestors. We made no assumptions and shelved our preconceived ideas. We wanted to see where the data led us. Appendix A shows the precise method we used to extract the data. Our strategy was simple; we gathered the Y-chromosome mutations, which are seen in more than 5 percent of human males, and entered them into a spreadsheet. We looked for patterns and color-coded the resulting groups. Please consider doing one Y-chromosome example yourself using Appendix A as a guide, or if you have your Y-chromosome data, you can trace it back to your most ancient ancestor/ancestors. You will see the ancient ancestor to whom you are related.

The data used in this research came from the 1000 genomes project (Reference 2) and retrieved using the Ensembl browser (Reference 3). The data appeared to be correct with no errors. No data was eliminated due to suspect errors, and no data was “cherry-picked” to suit any preconceived ideas. Our thanks to the great effort of those who did the sequencing and publishing of the raw data. We also greatly appreciate that it was made available to the public.

We started by taking 57 Y-genomes of diverse people (Americas, East Asia, Europe, South Asia, and Africa). Next, we gathered mutations that were in at least 5 percent of the world’s male population. The technical term for this is those with a Mean Allele Frequency (MAF) greater than or equal to 0.05 (5 percent). These mutations are the most interesting; any smaller MAF mutation is a subset of those greater than 5%.

The spreadsheet below provides 57 rows (individual male humans) and 30 columns (mutations over 5 percent of the population). Each column element of the matrix was color-coded to show us whether the individual had the mutation or not. We noticed patterns beginning to form (you can CLICK HERE to see the EXCEL copy.)

Next, we switched columns and rows to form groups. The groups were obvious. We also took each group and moved the columns so that the columns for each group with the largest MAF were on the left. Now we can see a clear pattern in the figure below. We see that each individual fits into just one group and had no mutations in any other group. Also, we see that every individual in the group has the mutation with the greatest MAF; this is the mutation of the most ancient ancestor of that group. Here is what the spreadsheet looks like after grouping: Note: you can CLICK HERE to see the matrix in EXCEL.

Looking at the matrix above, we see that each group has one maximum MAF. The yellow is .38, the red is 52, and the green is .10. They add up to 100 percent.

Now that we have shown that our most ancient ancestor had three sons, we can state that this finding is consistent with the Bible. The three groups are consistent with the three sons of Noah: Ham, Shem, and Japheth. The Bible states that, generally, those from Ham went south to Africa and southern Asia, those from Japheth went north to northern Europe and northern Asia, and those from Shem stayed in the Caucuses, the Near East, and North Africa. Therefore, one could easily conclude that Ham is the yellow group, Shem is the green group, and Japheth is the red group. Note: Noah’s Y-chromosome is also known since it would be that of the three sons with all mutations removed.

Bible in Genesis 10, the Table of Nations, states that all humanity came from these three sons:

Genesis 10:1 Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood.

Genesis 10:32 These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.

This means that roughly 1/3 of the earth’s male population came from each son, but, since Japheth had 7 sons, Ham had 4 sons, and Shem had 5 sons; therefore, the worldwide distribution should be closer to the following:

Patriarch Number of sons % Projected World Population Observation

Japheth 7 sons 43.75 52

Ham 4 sons 25 38

Shem 5 sons 31.25 10

The chart above shows that both the Ham and Japheth results were higher than expected, and Shem was lower than expected. However, this can be explained in at least two ways:

(1) The Ham and Japheth offspring are in the world’s heavily populated areas, namely South and East Asia.

(2) The Thousand Genomes Project did not provide representatives of the Near East, the Mid-East, or Northern Africa, all of which would increase the Shem percentage, thereby decreasing Ham and Japheth’s percentages.

The above two issues are not meant as criticism but offered as an explanation.

Our findings are consistent with the Bible, secular ancient history, and genetic diversity:

The Bible documents Noah and his family to be the only ones spared from the deluge which flooded the entire earth, and the earth was repopulated through Noah’s three sons.
The historical period began when the Sumerians began writing cuneiform tablets. These early writings documented the kings before and after the flood. Also, the Sumerian legends are consistent with the world being populated by the three sons on the Ark.
According to the Bible and Sumerian history, all humanity came from one family. As they migrated throughout the world, the genetic diversity would be lost from those who separated from the core population; therefore, the most genetic diversity should be where Noah’s family settled, the Near East. Those who migrated to the Americas, Australia, and southern Africa lost some genetic diversity. We can consider two levels of observing genetic diversity, first, what we see and, second, what DNA tells us. We can easily see eye color, skin color, and hair color. Looking at a globe, it is apparent that those with the most visual diversity meet in the Near East, the place of disembarkation from Noah’s Ark. From a DNA standpoint, one can look at the diversity of haplogroups, both Y-chromosomal and mitochondrial. The extremities are South Africa, Australia, and the Americas, which have only a few haplogroups. The location with the most haplogroups is, again, in the Near East.

To summarize our findings:

(1) From a Y-chromosome perspective, it appears that all humanity came from three male humans.

(2) Item (1) is not proof of the Biblical narrative concerning Noah’s three sons, but it is consistent with it. To prove it, one would have to sequence every human male ever born and analyze his genome. If anyone can trace an individual human Y Chromosome back to some basal mutation other than the three given, please let us know and comment below.

(3) We can now project Noah’s DNA; it is that of his three sons with no mutations.

(4) Our findings are consistent with the Bible, Sumerian history, and our current state of human diversity.

Future analysis It is now possible to know the Y-chromosome DNA of each of Noah’s grandchildren. This is in our job jar.

References:

1 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2748900/#:~:text=The%20chromosomes%20were%20separated%20by,7.0%20%C3%97%2010%E2%88%928).

2 https://www.internationalgenome.org/

3 https://useast.ensembl.org/index.html

Appendix A

If you would like to repeat this analysis or add to it, the following is the step-by-step procedure we used.

Let’s start by taking someone from, perhaps, Peru and find out to which group he belongs. Did he come from Shem, Ham, or Japheth?

(1) We open Ensembl (https://useast.ensembl.org/index.html ). Leave everything default and enter rs9786139 in the upper right-hand box—hit enter.

(2) You should get a new window with the following “rs9786139 (Human Variant).” Click on it. Notice that the MAF is .38.

(3) Click on the ICON that says, “population genetics.” Scroll down to find “AMR” and the subgroup “PEL.” Click on the “PEL.” You can see that 95 percent of this group has a “G,” and 5 percent of the population have an “A.” Next, go to the far right of the “PEL” row and click on “show.” Each of the rows of this screen is an actual human being. You will notice that most of this group has a “G,” but a few have an “A.”

(4) Looking at the population genetics of those from PEL, Peru, you can see that a few Peruvians are from Ham, but most are from someone else. You can find out who by entering the defining mutations for Shem and Japheth. If you enter all the mutations and analyze the same Peruvian, you will see all his mutations are in one group or another. If you look at rs3900, you will see that most Peruvians are from Japheth.

(5) continue entering the mutations one by one, and you will see that our Peruvian is only from one group and has no mutations from any other group. If you do a significant number of individuals, please sent them to us.

Noah’s Wine Country, the origin of Human and Wine Migration

April 11, 2020Creation, family, History, Science

Some believe that the Biblical account of Noah is a myth; some say it is an allegory; and some, like the present writer, say it is a true historical account. So far, we have not found Noah’s colossal Ark; maybe it was recycled by our ancient ancestors, covered by an ice cap, or buried by the Mount Ararat volcano; nonetheless, the search for Noah’s Ark continues. Meanwhile, we, at Genesis and Genetics, are looking for evidence of Noah in other places, one of which is searching for Noah’s vineyard. So, let’s combine our knowledge of the Bible with modern science and search for Noah’s vineyard.

The Bible says that after leaving the Ark:

Genesis 9:20 Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard … (KJV)

Noah planted a vineyard; but, by now, surely all signs of Noah’s vineyard have disappeared. Right? It appears that is not the case; ancient grape seeds (pips) have been found near Mount Ararat. These grape pips have been carbon dated and genetically sequenced. As a result, their DNA has been traced to modern grapes. These results are illuminating, but before we get into the migration of grapes, let’s get a bit more background from the Bible concerning Noah and his Ark:

Genesis 8:4 And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat (KJV).

The Hebrew word “Ararat” is the word for “Armenia.” When Noah’s Ark settled in the mountains of Armenia, the Armenian borders had yet to be defined; however, the Bible is a timeless book and we can assume ancient Armenia included present-day Armenia. Also, going back in history to just after the time of Moses, we find that ancient Armenia included modern-day Armenia, Eastern Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Southern Georgia. Therefore, logically, Noah’s vineyard should be in one of these countries. The Bible states that the Ark settled in the mountains of Armenia; so, it could have landed on Mount Ararat or any of the Armenian mountains. Christian tradition gives Mount Ararat the honor of being the place of disembarkation from the Ark, and it is, for sure, a possibility.

We find that the modern countries representing ancient Armenia are, indeed, rich in wine history. Here are some facts:

Georgia is touted by many as being the birthplace of wine. It claims to have been making wine for 8000 years. In the days of the Soviet Union, Georgia was known as the Soviet Union’s wine cellar.
Azerbaijan also touts its ancient winemaking. Azerbaijan has much diversity in landscape, some of which are perfect for growing grapes.
Present-day Armenia has a long history of wine culture. Many modern-day Armenians consider wine as the national drink. In Armenia, there are legends that Noah planted his vineyard in the Ararat Valley (Figure 1).

Figure 1 Mount Ararat with vineyards in the foreground

Armenia boasts of having the world’s oldest winemaking facility located in Areni Cave (Figure 2).

Figure 2 Excavations in Areni cave

In addition, Armenia is rich in ancient history. For example, Carahunge, Armenia is a Stonehenge-like site. Many of the stones have holes drilled in them, and they are called speaking stones in that they make noise as the wind flows through them. The Carahunge formation of stones predates the British Stonehenge by approximately 4000 years, dating it to approximately the same age as the most ancient Armenian vineyards.

Figure 3 Carahunge, the Armenian Stonehenge predating the British Stonehenge by nearly 4000 years.

DNA sequencing shows that most Domestic wines owe their origins to wild grapes in the Near East.

Since the discovery of DNA, many mysteries are being solved in various fields including horticulture. Worldwide, one of the most valuable horticultural crops is grapes; therefore, scientists give much attention to viticulture. DNA markers (SNPS) are used to connect domestic grapes to wild species and trace their migration from country to country. According to an article in PNAS (proceeding from the National Academy of Science), grape domestication began 6,000 to 8,000 years ago with the wild grape Vitis vinifera sp. Sylvestris. This grape is common in the Northern hemisphere, but they have traced domestic grapes to the DNA most closely aligned with those wild grapes from the Near East, specifically Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan (reference 1). Therefore, the origin of domestic grapes is coincident with Noah’s wine country in ancient Armenia. This, of course, does not prove the Biblical account of Noah, but it shows the scientific evidence is consistent with the Biblical narrative.

Carbon Dates

We at Genesis and Genetics consider carbon dating good science in principle; however, we have concluded that the calibration curves, based on the uniformitarian model are not correct, and carbon 14 values must be corrected for the Biblical flood effects (Reference 2, To access our carbon 14 date calculator click here). The oldest evidence of winemaking dates to 5900 B.C. Correcting 5900 B.C. for flood effects gives us 2141 B.C. Since the flood receded approximately 2348 B.C., the oldest grape pips found so far lived 200 years after disembarkation from the Ark. Therefore, the oldest vineyard found thus far is probably not Noah’s original vineyard, but they are vineyards planted by Noah’s near kin. If some ancient grapes are carbon dated closer to the flood date of 2348 B.C., it may very well be the vineyard planted by Noah.

Figure 4 shows some of the ancient Armenian vineyards found so far. They probably are those of Noah’s offspring and show the earliest stages of human migration. The present findings are good corroboration of the Biblical narrative and show that (1) Noah’s Ark settled in what is now known to be wine country, (2) there is evidence of ancient winemaking where Noah landed, and (3) that ancient Armenia is the origin of modern domestic grapes.

Figure 4 Some of the Ancient Armenia vineyards found so far (the red W’s denote ancient vineyards and the white A shows the location of Mount Ararat

Summary

The Biblical narrative and archaeological evidence meet in ancient Armenia. Now it is clear that Noah and his offspring planted vineyards in some of the best wine-producing country in the world. Also, Noah’s wine country has been shown to be the origin of modern domestic grapes. Our findings are not proof of Noah’s account but show clearly that the Bible is once again consistent with scientific evidence. So, next time you enjoy a glass of wine, grape juice of a handful of raisins, consider giving Noah a little credit for his husbandry skills and give him a bravo for saving humanity from annihilation.

Coming Soon

Soon we will release a blog concerning the migration out of Noah’s vineyard. We have found that only a portion of Noah’s family “came from the East” and settled in the Land of Shinar (Mesopotamia). We will also identify the historical Nimrod.

References:

Noah’s Ark – Hermetically Sealed and Safe

May 15, 2017Creation, History, Religion

In a previous blog (Noah’s Ark – A Fresh Look), we made the case for the notion that all the creatures on the Ark were in a Biblical “deep sleep.” As we continued our study of the Ark, we came across a very interesting couple of verses:

Genesis 8:5 And the waters decreased continually until the tenth month: in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, were the tops of the mountains seen.

Genesis 8:6 And it came to pass at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made: (KJV)

These verses strongly imply that the one window (Genesis 6:16) on the Ark was closed during the voyage and not opened until near disembarkation (10 months + 40 days, i.e. approximately 340 days out of the approximate one year voyage of the Ark). Imagine tens of thousands of animals and eight humans living on the Ark with active metabolisms for nearly a year with the only window closed! Why wasn’t it open to get fresh air? So, knowing that the window was closed brings us to the likelihood that the Ark was hermetically sealed, i.e. no air/gases or liquids could enter or leave the Ark. Let us reason together and consider the possibility that the Ark was, in fact, hermetically sealed. Consider:

The Bible states that the Ark was sealed inside and outside with pitch (Genesis 6:14). Sealing the Ark both outside and inside keeps air/gases or liquids from coming in or going out. The Hebrew word used for applying the pitch is “kaphar” which means to “cover,” the implication being that the Ark was completely covered, both above and below the water line, inside and out.
During the flood, many creatures died outside the Ark causing health hazards such as gastroenteritis, tuberculosis, hepatitis, and cholera. These diseases would be transferred through the air, water, and/or insects. The passengers on the Ark, in a deep sleep, would be particularly vulnerable; however, if the Ark were hermetically sealed, those on the Ark would be in isolation and safe. Incidentally, this is additional evidence for the notion that those on the Ark were in a deep sleep: if they would be exposed to the outside air and not in a deep sleep, they would be exposed to gastroenteritis, tuberculosis, hepatitis, and cholera; this would be a colossal mess and some, maybe many, would be lost.
Having the Ark hermetically sealed would also sound proof the Ark. This creates a comforting mental image of the Ark in the center of the greatest catastrophic event of all time with the passengers resting in a Biblical “deep sleep” peaceably and quietly. Don’t forget that the name “Noah” in Hebrew (Noach) means “rest” and “quiet.”
The obvious question is: how could all of those on the Ark survive without oxygen? The answer is that there was plenty of oxygen in the Ark; it just had to be recycled. This is not a problem for God; even we humans can do it in the space station; and, those in the space station are awake with active metabolisms.

Studying the events of the early days of humanity is fascinating. Someday we will be with the Lord and it will be all revealed; but, until then we can use the Bible and our relationship with the Teacher (Holy Spirit) to see how close we can get to the truth. We at Genesis and Genetics want to go on record as stating that we believe the Ark was hermetically sealed. We always reserve the right to be wrong, but this is our stance. Please let us know if you have any evidence that either supports or refutes this notion.

The Sons of God and the Daughters of Men (and Giants)

February 18, 2015Creation, History, Religion

In the book of Genesis, there is a very interesting scripture that states:

“… the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.” (Genesis 6:2)

This scripture is nestled in with other scriptures that talk about population increase, giants, great wickedness, and culminates with God confessing that He was broken hearted (Genesis 6:6); He was broken hearted to the point of being sorry He had made mankind (also Genesis 6:6). Here are the scriptures in context:

Genesis 6:1 And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,

Genesis 6:2 That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

Genesis 6:3 And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.

Genesis 6:4 There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.

Genesis 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

Genesis 6:6 And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.

Genesis 6:7 And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. (KJV)

What does all this mean? Let’s start by reviewing the early history of man: God created man (Adam) in God’s image and this creation was “very good” (Genesis 1:31). God and Adam would walk together and have fellowship. Then Adam sinned and became a mortal being, destined to die. However, God was pleased with one of Adam’s sons, Abel, who was righteous. Cain slew his brother Abel because Abel’s works were righteous and Cain’s were evil (1 John 3:12). Then, God raised up Seth in attempt to reestablish a righteous line of people. But, when the sons of God (those from Seth) saw that the daughters of men (those from Cain) were fair and took them as wives, it resulted in an irreversible mixing of the righteous and unrighteous lines.

Concerning the giants i.e. Nephilim, some believe that these giants were the result of angels taking the daughters of men as wives, supposing that the sons of God were angels. This notion originated in the book of Enoch which has been accepted as neither the Hebrew Holy Scriptures nor as Christian Bible Canon. Our conclusion is that this human-angel hybridization is contrary to both the scriptures and the genetic data. Here are our reasons:

(1) The scriptures (Genesis 6:4) clearly state that the giants existed before the sons of God took the daughters of men as wives.

. . . there were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came into the daughters of men.(Genesis 6:4)

(2) The scriptures are clear that angels don’t marry. The following are the words of Jesus:

Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.

For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven. (Matthew 22:29-30; Words of Jesus in red)

(3) Humans have souls, i.e. flesh and blood, and angels do not.

And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. (Genesis 2:7)

Adam became a “living soul.” Angels are spirits and do not have flesh and blood. They can dwell in flesh and blood, but they do not have their own flesh and blood.

Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.
(Luc 24:39 – words of Jesus in red)

(4) We have much genetic data that has been collected over the last few decades and it shows that all human DNA can be traced to one woman and one man. Any foreign, non-human DNA would appear and be noticeable. In this case modern humans would have two origins of Y-chromosome DNA since the fathers of some would be angels and the fathers of other would be human. This is not the case.

The giants most probably had the genetic mutation which causes (gigantism, or acromegaly). Do a search on either of these words and you can read all about it. These early giants were probably the first evidence of genetic mutations and were called “Nephilim” which, in the original Hebrew, has the sense of giant, bully, and tyrant; so, they were large and took advantage of their size being bullies and tyrants, like Goliath.

Conclusion: This is an important part of human history, when the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were fair and took them as wives; it helps understand who we are and how we got to where we are. Also, the notion that the sons of God were angels is, in our opinion, a myth.

Eve’s DNA

May 5, 2014Creation, History, Religion

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

Je Crois

We believe the scriptures and defend them