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How did Noah get all of the species of birds into the Ark?
An international consortium of scientists conducted research, known as the "Avian Phylogenomics Project", in order to correct the bird family tree, in which they compared DNA genomes of 48 select different species of birds to determine their last shared common ancestors.
From their findings in 2014, the scientists concluded that only 4-5 species of birds survived the past global mass extinction event, in which a giant asteroid struck near the Yucatan Peninsula in
Mexico
(When Whales)
. They base this conclusion on their DNA findings that the 10,500 species of birds of our modern times have all evolved from those 4-5 surviving species of birds since that past global mass extinction event.
In contemplating the various details of the Biblical account of Noah and the Ark in Genesis chapters 6-8, one related previously-insurmountable question arises as to how 10,500 species of bird pairs could fit into the Ark, along with all the other animals, and how Noah and his family could have fed all of those 21,000 (or more) birds along with all the animals
every day for the year that they were in the Ark
(see Genesis 6:7,17,19-7:3). DNA evidence is usually highly reliable, and these particular findings of this DNA research on birds excellently fits into the Biblical account, essentially clarifying that Noah could have had as few as 5 different species of bird pairs on the Ark, for a total of perhaps 35 birds
(see Genesis 7:2-3), from which all 10,500 species of birds have since evolved up to today. Noah did have onboard a "raven" and a "dove", which also fit within these DNA research
findings (Genesis 8:7,8).
The Biblical account does make a perhaps important qualifying distinction in Genesis 7:14 that "every bird
according to its kind" was on board the Ark, apparently meaning 'every bird according to its category kind, which will be subsequently filled out, broadened, and expanded in additional variations from that original bird pair species'.
(A thought-provoking relating side note is that the account of the original creation of living creatures and birds in Genesis 1:21 uses the exact same Hebrew word
(#4327) in the description of how God created the various living creatures on the earth "according to its kind".)
Obviously, Noah and his family in the Ark for a year could accommodate and care for only a very small fraction of pairs of birds from all the different 10,500 species that exist now.
And also obviously, God was and still is in control over and orchestrating all of this evolving of birds, apparently from a small number of original
pairs (for example: "...will come to you" - Genesis 6:20; 7:8). Believers would be wise to carefully discern and perhaps re-evaluate how we regard the various aspects of the theory of evolution, distinctly specifying which aspects of evolution apparently correctly correspond to God's activities and which aspects unquestionably directly contradict God's activities.
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Works Cited:
Bible. “The Holy Bible: New International Version.” The Bible Library CD-ROM. Oklahoma City, OK:
Ellis Enterprises, 1988.
"When Whales Walked: Journeys In Deep Time", video. Aired on PBS, 08/25/21.
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File name: howdidNoahgetallthebirdsintotheark.htm
Translation used: NIV, quoted or referred to in various places within this document
Source: www.BelieverAssist.com
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