Noah's Ark: Genetic Differences In Genesis

Genesis 6:7-8 reads, “7 So the Lord said, ‘I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.’ 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord” (The Holy Bible). This scripture introduces the well-known story of Noah’s Ark. God sent forty days and forty nights of non-stop rain to wipe out the sin-ridden humans and purify the Earth. One male and one female from every animal species and the family of Noah would be spared in order to repopulate the Earth. There has been much debate over the existence of such an event even though versions have been recorded in many cultures and languages. Some say that the bible’s
This is an extreme population bottleneck. With the event of a mass extinction, leaving only two of a species, genetic diversity is greatly limited within a population. It is not an outlandish thought that God would have chosen two organisms from each species that represent that greatest amount of genetic diversity possible between the two. Mating two organisms that do not have any genetic overlap would allow their offspring to have a greater chance of being genetically different from each other. This would also help with the issue of repopulation.
When an extinction event leaves two organisms of a whole species, the genetic pool is extremely limited. Between those two organisms, it is improbable that they hold all genetic variations for the species’ genome. Within this limited pool, any overlap or similar genes shared between the one male and one female will also have an effect on the new population. Another effect of a population bottleneck is small sample
A few passages describe how some species were saved through captivity (Goodall, J., Maynard, T., and Hudson, G., 65). An example is the crested ibis, Nipponia nippon. Relentlessly hunted and suffering from habitat loss, crested ibis populations were minimal. Scientists took measures to greatly improve a piece of the specie’s dismal habitat. They insured that this area was free from outside influence that could further deplete the small population of seven crested ibises. Through this captive yet wild habitat, population numbers rose slowly. At first the crested ibises repopulated naturally, but soon breeding programs were orchestrated by scientists to produce greater numbers of offspring. After twenty years of preserving the species, captive crested ibis were slowly released into the wild. Today, the population is still watched, but there is significant hope that they will return with power (Goodall, J., Maynard, T., and Hudson, G., 101-104). The crested ibis’ repopulation is similar to that which the species on the Ark would need in order to not become extinct. Species would have to be closely watched to make sure that population sizes were progressing forward at reasonable rates, but it cannot be said that it is impossible for an endangered species to come back from the brink of