Well, That's Me Convinced! :)

[LazyGun]

So it seems Noahs ark has received the physics seal of approval.

Timely story, given the release of the film.

Not sure though that whether or not the ark might have floated was the first concern when deciding whether the story as a whole was a factual retelling of actual events though.

I was curious about one point raised in the article though - the students based their calculations around a total of 70,000 animals - 2 of each from 35,000 species - anyone know where this notion of 35,000 species comes from?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/10740451/Noahs-Ark-would-have-floated...even-with-70000-animals.html

[jomifl]

I guess that all the surplus species that weren't on the ark must have evolved since :o)

[jomifl]

What a silly article, you don't need a degree in nautical architecture to know that the mean desity of the ark full of animals with enough space to enable them to breathe would have a density less than 1 so it would float. Whether it would be strong enough to stay in one piece is another matter entirely.

[naomi24]

//anyone know where this notion of 35,000 species comes from?//

Anyone know where the idea of just two of every species came from?

//Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female. // Genesis 7:2

[jomifl]

^desity=density... doh!

[LazyGun]

"Anyone know where the idea of just two of every species came from?"

That too. The article talks about this assumption of 35,000 species equating to 70,000 animals though, then goes on to say "previous research" - I was just wondering if this was previous research of theirs, or a more general claim made elsewhere, although the cursory search I made earlier did not really turn up anything.

[jim360]

Wow gee, what a rotten article all round. Oh well, never mind.

[woofgang]

I wonder if they included food in the calculation? btw I had always assumed "gopher" wood was a balsa type wood so very buoyant?

[sandyRoe]

But the sceptics need to remember that the Ark was at all times cradled in God's loving hands. Whether it would have floated or not without that support is surely little more than a moot point.

[LazyGun]

@Sandy I wonder if "GLH" (Gods Loving Hands) could be some kind of universal physical constant? :)

It could be used in all those basic, fundamental physics equations...

[sandyRoe]

GLH confound science and its rules. The Red Sea parted, feeding 5000 out of a pannier of bread and fish, and the longevity of the ancients. All His works that can't be explained by science.

[beso]

The buoyancy of the wood would be trivial compared to the displacement of the ship.

What would be required is a very strong wood. Indeed it would need to be a strong as steel for a boat exceeding 100 metres in length.

The Ark is just another stupid story from one of the stupidest books ever written.

[sandyRoe]

The Chinese admiral, Zheng He, is said to have had a flagship more than 400 ft long.
"Moreover, Zheng He's ships, Professor Wu explained, were impressive examples of naval engineering. His so-called treasure ships (which brought back to China such things a giraffes from Africa) were 400 feet long. Columbus's flagship the St. Maria, in contrast, was but 85 feet in length."

[jim360]

Zheng He's ships didn't have to carry the world's entire Ecosystem, though.

[royfromaus]

I was curious about one point raised in the article though - the students based their calculations around a total of 70,000 animals - 2 of each from 35,000 species - anyone know where this notion of 35,000 species comes from?


Here, perhaps?



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Genesis_Flood:_The_Biblical_Record_and_Its_Scientific_Implications

[naomi24]

I wonder if they remembered to include the dinosaurs?

//...dinosaurs could have been represented as young. Interestingly, according to the most recent models of dinosaur maturation, even the largest sauropod dinosaurs were no more than several hundred kilograms in weight by the time they were just over a year old, which could have corresponded to their time of release from the ark. //

http://www.answersingenesis.org/articles/nab3/how-could-animals-fit-on-ark

[royfromaus]

The unicorns were included but either he was gay or infertile.

[ludwig]

// He's ships didn't have to carry the world's entire Ecosystem, though. //

Shocking grammar Jim. It's HIS ships, not he's.

[Old_Geezer]

Did they need a second ark for the fodder ?

If QI is to be believed 2 of each was for the "unclean" animals. Other species were allowed more.

[jomifl]

Yeah those 'unclean' animals are so 'dirty' man.