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The following are some possible solutions to the size of the ark and how it was built, how it managed to stay afloat, and how so many animals were accommodated
 However, when the Bible has been proven to be accurate over and over again in hundreds of details the ones we do not understand or cannot find a solution for cannot be dismissed as tall stories. Remember that the God of the universe is behind it all and that He can and does accomplish miles more that what we in our infinite wisdom consider beyond the bounds of possibility.
See these two sections for much more on the scientific and archaeological accuracy of the Scriptures.
Scientific Facts In The Bible
The Scriptures are replete with statements that demonstrate scientific knowledge that predates (often by many hundred of years) corresponding discoveries made by the modern scientific world. Given that men who wrote the Bible were not scientists, and given that the scientific information at their disposal was both sparse and generally misleading, the accuracy of the Bible can only be attributed to Divine inspiration."
Archaeology And The Bible
Many events in the Bible which previously passed as 'pious tales' have been proved by archaeological excavations to be historical. In Palestine, places and towns frequently mentioned in the Bible are being brought into the light of day and look exactly as the Bible describes them and are located exactly where the Bible says they were. In fact archaeologists have encountered numerous inscriptions and monuments with the names of people mentioned in the Old and New Testament. The events recorded with an accuracy that is nothing less than startling.
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How Could All the Animals Get On Board Noah's Ark?
Students Surprised to Find Noah's Ark Feasible
How Could All the Animals Get On Board Noah's Ark?
By John D. Morris, PH.D.
Sunday, March 01, 1992
Not long ago I was interviewed on a "news-talk" radio show. The host was a particularly venomous anti-Christian, with a long history of ridiculing Christianity on his show. Evidently he particularly likes to ridicule creationism.
His introductory comment was, "You're one of those idiots who believes the earth is only six-thousand years old. Tell me one thing. How did Noah get all those millions of dinosaurs onboard Noah's Ark?"
I asked if he knew how many dinosaurs there were. He didn't, but he knew there were too many to get on the Ark. When I explained that only about 600 species of dinosaurs had ever been named, that many species had been named from only a piece of one bone, that many of the species were probably of the same "kind," that many dinosaurs were small, that God wouldn't have brought the largest specimens to Noah, and that, in my opinion, there were probably only around 100 dinosaurs onboard the Ark, with an average size of a cow, he changed his tune. But he still knew the story was ridiculous.
Then he included all the animals — fish, whales, clams, etc. — along with the land animals. I explained that the Bible clearly teaches that it was only those "in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land" (Genesis 7:22) that were present on the Ark, and that, although marine animals died by the trillions in the Flood, at least representatives of each kind" would have survived. I further speculated that insects might not have been on board, since they don't breathe air. They absorb oxygen through abdominal membranes. They could have survived, particularly in their egg and larvae states, on floating plant debris. Actually, they would be needed worldwide as the Flood ended, to help seeds and sprigs re-germinate and flourish once again.
Restricted to only land animals and birds, this host still insisted they couldn't fit on the Ark. I asked how many there were? He didn't know, "but they couldn't fit!" I asked if he knew the size of the Ark. He didn't, "but it wasn't big enough!"
Now, this was an amazing admission. According to him, an unknown number of animals couldn't fit onto a boat of unknown size!
Let us honestly ask the same question: How many animals were there and how big was the Ark? Could they fit?
The total number of land-dwelling mammals birds, reptiles, and amphibian species is less than 20,000 or so. The number of "kinds," the Biblical designation, is probably much smaller. For instance, of the 9,000 bird species, approximately 400 are hummingbirds, with only minor differences in color, size, and habitat. Very likely, they all come from only one or a few kinds, thereby dropping the total number.
The Ark itself was huge! With gross dimensions of about 450 feet by 75 feet by 45 feet, its volume was easily able to house two (or in some cases seven) of each land species, let alone kinds. The trip may have been difficult for Noah and his family, but it was possible, with God's help.
And so it is with us. With God's help, even the tough questions have answers. We only need to study and believe.
* Dr. John Morris is the President of ICR.
Cite this article: Morris, J. 1992. How Could All the Animals Get On Board Noah's Ark? Acts & Facts. 21 (3).
Students Surprised to Find Noah's Ark Feasible
By Brian Thomas, PH.D.
Friday, April 11, 2014
Article posted on April 11, 2014.
Advanced physics students at Leicester University were tasked with determining if the Biblical dimensions of Noah's ark — assuming it was properly constructed — could have supported the mass of 70,000 animals. Student Kayie Raymer told UK's The Telegraph that after other "more serious" assignments, this one was "something different." 1 What did they find?
The students used 48.2cm (almost 19 inches) as the length of a cubit to estimate the total dimensions of the ark. Using the density of water and Archimedes' principle of buoyancy, they calculated the total mass the ark could contain without sinking.
"Previous research has suggested that there were approximately 35,000 species of animals which would have needed to be saved by Noah," according to The Telegraph, though they cited no source for this estimate. Doubling this number to account for a male and female of each species, the student group estimated that the ark needed to have held approximately 70,000 creatures. To the students' surprise, they found that this amount did not exceed the total mass the ark could contain. Physics student Thomas Morris told The Telegraph,
"You don't think of the Bible necessarily as a scientifically accurate source of information, so I guess we were quite surprised when we discovered it would work."
The students published their results in Leicester University's Journal of Physics Special Topics.
The students' results at the ark having 70,000 creatures actually exceed biblical expectations, giving further assurance that the ark could hold all that it needed — including food and even water.
Creatures change within the boundaries of their own "kinds" or fundamental forms, so Noah certainly did not need to take on board all "species," a modern term that seems to bear as many definitions as there are researchers who use it.
What about the biblical detail given in Genesis, which noted seven of each bird kind — probably meaning seven pairs of each bird kind — on board Noah's ark? If today's "species" were substituted for basic "kinds" here, then the total number of birds would probably have exceeded ark capacity. However, creation biologists have been combing the literature for breeding records that help them estimate which "species" likely belonged to a "kind." 2 For example, breeding studies link sparrows and finches as within-kind creatures. 3 Instead of over 1,000 sparrow or finch "species," perhaps as few as 14 sparrow-finch representatives were on the ark.
Applying this principle to all "species" would dramatically reduce Leicester University's student-estimated 70,000 animals. Creation researcher John Woodmorappe's book, Noah's Ark: A Feasibility Study, estimated the number of ark kinds as the number of families of extant and extinct air-breathing, land-dwelling animals, totaling about 8,000 kinds or 16,000 individuals — including the sevens of birds and clean animals. 4 That would require merely one third of the ark's volume, leaving plenty of space for provisions and people.
It's amazing what happens when the Bible's accuracy is put to the test. The Leicester University physics students "were astonished to find out that the Ark would have floated," according to The Telegraph. 1 How much more astonished would they be to find that the Ark not only could have floated, but could have carried all its passengers and their provisions for a whole year, just as the Scriptures say? Since the Bible contains spiritual truths, discovering that the Bible also records historical truth turns out to be "more serious" than secularized students at first suspect.
References
Knapton, S. Noah's Ark would have floated...even with 70,000 animals. The Telegraph. Posted on telegraph.co.uk April 3, 2014, accessed April 3, 2014
Henigan, T. An Initial Estimate toward Identifying and Numbering the Ark Turtle and Crocodile Kinds. Answers Research Journal. 7 (2014): 1-10.
Lightner, J.K. 2010. Identification of a large sparrow-finch monobaramin in perching birds (Aves: Passeriformes). Journal of Creation. 24 (3): 117-121
Woodmorappe, J. 1996. Noah's Ark: A Feasibility Study. Santee, CA: Institute for Creation Research.
* Mr. Thomas is Science Writer at the Institute for Creation Research.
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