Though many Christians believe the ark floated simply because the Bible says that it did, it’s nice to have some third-party validation to show that God doesn’t ask us to believe the improbable. In this case, a group of physics students from the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Leicester came to the conclusion that, given the dimensions described in the Bible, the ark would’ve been seaworthy.
This from News.com.au:
In the book of Genesis, Noah is commanded to build an ark which is 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide and 30 cubits high to house himself, his family and two of every species of animal.
For the study, the students settled on a cubit being 48.2 cm long and found the ark could support the weight of 2.5 million sheep. The university said that previous research suggested there were approximately 35,000 species of animals in Noah’s time.
Student Thomas Morris, 22, said: “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. We’re not proving that it’s true, but the concept would definitely work.” Source
It only takes a little crack in the armor so to speak, to lead a non believer down a path that might lead them to belief in God and ultimately faith in Jesus as savior. Christians ought not be afraid of true scientific examination of the Bible. God’s word is true and accurate and, therefore, honest scientific studies where the technology or ability exists to truly examine a biblical claim, will support what the Bible says.
One branch of science, Archaeology, has been incredibly supportive of the biblical record, proving the Bible to be accurate repeatedly. In fact, it’s to the point that many times archaeological theories are checked for potential accuracy by determining what the Bible says about the history of a culture or civilization. Here’s to more backing of biblical claims from the scientific community!