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The origin of life could only be described through theoretical considerations, analysis of the fossil record, or ancient writings. The value of ancient writings is that they provide us with a description of events written by those who directly lived and participated in close proximity with the historical facts under our study. They provide us with direct evidence of events occurring in past eras.
Earth sciences, like geology and paleontology, have elaborated an evolutionary development of life on earth. According to their hypothesis, living organisms have inhabited the surface of our planet for nearly four billion years. The appearance of animals was closely linked to unprecedented alterations in the earth's physical environment. The main transformation was the significant increase in atmospheric oxygen which made possible the evolution of animals
One momentous event in Precambrian evolution was the development of the biochemical apparatus of oxygen-generating photosynthesis. Oxygen, released as a by-product of photosynthesis, accumulated in the atmosphere and created a new cycle of biological adaptation.
Geological analysis of uraninite samples from the Precambrian period suggests that the concentration of oxygen at that period must have been about 1%.
Uraninite (UO2) is found in sediments older than about two million years but not in younger strata, suggesting that the transition in oxygen concentrations may have come about at that time. Uraninite is found in several deposits that were laid down in the Precambrian streambeds. If concentration of atmospheric oxygen would have been higher than 1%, uraninite would have not been deposited there, because at higher oxygen concentrations, uraninite is readily oxidized to U3O8 which dissolves in water.
The most important evidence for the changes in atmospheric oxygen of the earth comes from iron deposits called banded iron formation. Chemical analyses of these samples are the evidence, that in a primitive anoxic ocean, iron existed in the ferrous state. That is with a valence of Fe+2. With the development of photosynthesis, oxygen dissolved in the upper parts of the ocean where it reacted with the dissolved iron. The iron was thereby converted to the ferric from, with a valence of Fe+3. As a result hydrous ferric oxides were precipitated and accumulated with silica to form rusty layers on the ocean floor. As the process continued, and more oxygen evolved from photosynthesis almost all the dissolved iron in the oceans basins was precipitated forming the vast accumulations of banded iron formation.
The fact that the age of this banded iron formation is relatively recent, supports the theory arguing that oxygen evolved late in the history of planet Earth. Only after all ocean iron rusted, oxygen started to increase in the earth's atmosphere.
Another fact that correlates with increases in atmospheric oxygen, is the reported animal extinction that took place precisely during the period of increments of atmospheric oxygen. This event occurred some 63 million years ago, at the end of the Mesozoic Era. Many kind of reptiles, marine invertebrates and certain kind of primitive plants gradually disappeared. The principal casualties among the reptiles were the dinosaurs.
Oxygen increased gradually, from 1% in the Precambrian era, to 20% at present day. Increase in atmospheric oxygen could only occur when the amount of oxygen released by photosynthesis exceeds the amount of oxygen consumed by oxidations and respiration. According to paleontological information, this trend of oxygen increase, took place rather quickly. Some type of sudden imbalance between the oxygen consumed by respiration and the oxygen released by photosynthesis should have been produced
At present, animals and bacteria are destroying all but 4 parts in 10.000 of the oxygen generated by photosynthesis each year. This indicates that the present trend in atmospheric oxygen is still of expansion . After a deep review of the literature in the subjects of geology, paleontology, earth sciences and atmospheric chemistry, I concluded that there is an absolute scientific consensus to presume that the primitive atmosphere was almost devoid of oxygen (less than 0.1%) , and that in the history of the Earth, there have been continuous increments in atmospheric oxygen (until reaching the present concentration of 20%.)
There is also clear evidence through the fossil record that a complete range of animals, mainly reptiles, suffered total extinction over a period of a hundred million years, in the Mesozoic era, between the Triassic and Cretaceous period.
Isotopic analysis of carbon burial indicates a rapid trend in oxygen increase that correlates with the period in which animal mass extinction occurred. This data is based on measurements of organic buried sediments that accumulated when a net production of atmospheric oxygen occurred. Carbon isotope ratios found in buried sedimentary carbon, provides a useful estimate for calculating atmospheric oxygen increments.
From the intriguing facts presented above, I concluded that science is still missing some part of the background to the origin of the Earth. There has been no clear explanation for the sudden Mesozoic animal extinction, neither for the abrupt geologic increase in atmospheric oxygen that occurred probably in a correlated period.
I would like to introduce now a clarification I started to develop for the above unexplainable geological process, while being a student at Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel. Students attending this exceptional university must complete credits from a wide number of theological studies apart from all those required by the faculty of sciences. A student switches from an organic chemistry laboratory course, to a course on the Book of Genesis. The science is provided by chemistry, and the ancient wisdom from the Pentateuch. Two different sources of wisdom add together can only yield more wisdom.
While living in this particular environment I began to develop an interesting idea, which I would like to present.
There is no doubt that the Pentateuch, to which belongs the book of Genesis (in the original Hebrew: "Bereshit"), is one of the most important sources of written information about ancient Earth's human generations. It has provided us with the foundation for almost all present religions including; Protestantism, Catholicism, Islam, and Judaism. More than two billion humans regard with the highest respect the words of this Book. It has been the most important of all ancient books for more than three thousand years. Based on the principles of the Pentateuch, modern society has developed rules and laws that characterize the present civilized world.
The inscription written on every dollar printed in the United States of America,
" IN GOD WE TRUST" refers to the same God mentioned in the Book of Genesis: "IN THE BEGINNING GOD CREATED THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH".
IN GOD WE TRUST" is a real belief in the United States of America, the country that leads the world today.
If we value the words of the Pentateuch, we may wish to consider that God revealed to us and explained the laws of His Creation. It is written there many times "AND GOD SAID".
" AND GOD SAID UNTO NOAH, THE END OF ALL FLESH IS COME BEFORE ME; FOR THE EARTH IS FILLED WITH VIOLENCE...... I DO BRING A DELUGE OF WATERS ("MABUL") UPON THE EARTH, TO DESTROY ALL FLESH, WHEREIN."
It was clear for me, from the above reputed words of The Creator that all animals would perish. In paleontology, this is known as mass extinction. Trees didn't suffer this annihilation. When the flood occurred and the waters were still high, the dove Noah sent out, brought back an olive leaf. There are also, no paleontological records of any mass extinction in the plant kingdom.
The mass extinction discovered through the science of paleontology , is related to the deluge of waters that affected the earth in accordance with the Book of Genesis. The hypothesis on ageing presented through this dissertation, seems to be in perfect agreement with the words written in the Book of Genesis.
There is a strong probability, and also a chemical justification for considering that an increase in oxygen must have occurred gradually after the flood. The original Hebrew word for flood is "Mabul", which means <catastrophe, downfall and loss>. The word Mabul has a wider context than flood, and it is much more in agreement with the scientists’ idea of cataclysm. The correct translation of the Hebrew text is: "I WILL BRING ABOUT BY MEANS OF WATER, THE DOWNFALL AND LOSS (CATASTROPHE)"
A better understanding of these terms, leads us to think that the Flood, was not only a heavy rainfall, but a catastrophe that produced total animal extinction. "..ALL THE GREAT WELLSPRINGS OF THE DEEP BURST FORTH, AND THE FLOODGATES OF THE HEAVENS WERE OPENED."
According to the words in Genesis the waters came from the inside of the earth and also from the sky. The water springs gushing out from the earth's crust breakdown represented a cataclysm, with invasion of waters from inside the Earth as well as from above.
Water is a form of oxygen. A massive amount of water equals huge quantities of oxygen storming the earth's surface. Photochemical disassociation of water induced by UV radiation from the sun, splits molecules of water into its components, oxygen and hydrogen. Therefore, an overflowing of water from below the earth's surface, will simultaneously yield a gradual rise in atmospheric oxygen.
Trees and plants reproduce by means of seeds, which in normal conditions, spread through the wind. If a heavy invasion of waters takes place on the earth's surface, seeds from plant and tress, will spread widely by the water, and will cover enormous amount of areas never reached before. Massive spread of plant seeds and high humidity, created extremely favorable conditions for a colossal development of green plants. It seems to me that THE FLOOD ( MABUL) WAS THE MAIN GEOLOGICAL INCIDENT TO CAUSE A HUGE EXPANSION OF EARTH'S GREEN PLANTS, GENERATING SHARP INCREASES IN PHOTOSYNTHETIC ACTIVITY, AND CONSEQUENTLY A PROGRESSIVE INCREASE IN THE OXYGEN CONTENT OF THE ATMOSPHERE.
Human and animal survivors, had to adjust their metabolic functions to an atmosphere which progressively increased its oxygen pressure. As stated previously a high oxygen atmospheric pressure restricts growth and shortens life span.
This is my attempted, reasoned explanation using the principles of geology, biochemistry, and atmospheric sciences, to try to account for the presently unexplained phenomena of a past era of sudden disappearance of animals, of great height, weight and life span. The words within the Book of Genesis carefully translated from the Hebrew text, and properly interpreted, might provide us with a better understanding of nature and life.
According to the Biblical text, before the flood, human life had a much longer span. "AND THE ETERNAL GOD SAID, MY SPIRIT SHALL NOT HENCEFORTH PRONOUNCE JUDGMENT AGAINST MAN THROUGH BACKSLIDING: HE IS ONLY FLESH, THEREFORE HIS DAYS SHALL BE AN HUNDRED AND TWENTY YEARS. THERE WERE GIANTS IN THE EARTH IN THOSE DAYS"
Before the deluge of waters, the total years of life of many of the personages presented in the Book of Genesis is given with detail. The average life span of the people mentioned in Genesis before the Flood, was 900 years. There are details of the ages prior to parentage, varying between 30 and 400 years. This means that the period of reproductive life was much more extensive than in the generations after the Flood. The power and strength to reproduce was maintained for more than 400 years.
It seems reasonable to me to realize that the generations before the Flood lived on an Earth where trees and plants existed only in some restricted areas. Only after the Flood, was a huge expansion of green plants and vegetation. The atmosphere before the Flood was different, with less oxygen (less green plants = less photosynthesis = less oxygen).
If my hypothesis on ageing is correct, it gives a straightforward explanation for the great life span that appears to have existed before the Flood, and for the reduction of life span after the Flood.
Low atmospheric oxygen should have been the conditions prevailing before the Flood, which caused expanded periods of growth, producing animals and humans of greater height and longer life span.
The words of The Creator immediately after decreeing a reduction of life span to 120 years were: "There were the giants in the earth in those days." This means that the generation before the Flood from had an average life span of 900 years and was of greater height than the generation that came after the Flood. This confirms what I have proposed though my hypothesis on ageing: life span is directly proportional to the period of growth. It seems to me correct to assume that the words in the Book of Genesis are teaching us the following:
The giants were living an average of 900 years. The waters that the flood brought, produced a progressive increase in atmospheric oxygen. As a consequence maximum human life span was gradually reduced from 900 years to 120 years. (Color Plate 8, Page 62)
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