Scientific Description of the Event

The last creative event described in Genesis 1 is the creation of Adam and Eve. The parallel in science is the appearance of the Homo sapiens species. We will first explore some background about how certain words concerning Homo sapiens are used in science. Then we will discuss the history of the scientific discoveries concerning Homo sapiens followed by the harmony with Genesis 1.

Exploring how the word “human” is used in science

When reading what scientists say about the origin of mankind, it can sometimes be confusing. The word “human” can be especially confusing because the meaning can change for a scientist according to the context. So, it will be helpful to first explain how words and concepts are used by scientists to explain the development of humans. We use an analogy to explain how scientists think about humankind.

Imagine your family tree. At the top are your grandparents and great-grandparents. Below them are your parents, then your brothers, sisters, and cousins, and finally you. Scientists use a similar kind of “family tree” to understand how humans are related to other living and extinct creatures. Instead of last names, they use standard scientific group names based on the Linnaean classifications that were discussed in Chapter 5.

Three important levels in the story of humans are hominids, hominins, and the genus Homo.

The largest group of these three is the hominids. This group includes all the “great apes.” This means that to scientists the modern humans, chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans all belong to the

same big family. Even though we look different today, scientists believe we share a common ancestor that lived millions of years ago. So, when you hear the word hominid, think of it as the widest branch of how scientists think of the human family tree that still includes other apes.

Inside that large group is a smaller group called the hominins. This group includes the species that began to walk upright on two legs. Some of them still looked a bit like apes, but scientists believe that they were more closely related to us than to any other living animal. Famous examples include species like Australopithecus, which lived in Africa millions of years ago and walked upright but still had small brains.

Within the hominins, there is an even smaller group called the genus Homo. This is the group that includes species that are even more like us. Members of the Homo genus had larger brains, made tools, and showed more advanced behavior. Some well-known members of this group include Homo habilis, Homo erectus, and Homo neanderthalensis (also known as Neanderthals).

Finally, at the very end of this branch is our own species, Homo sapiens. Scientists believe that we are just one species within the Homo genus. However, we are the only species of the genus Homo that is still alive today.

So, the relationship can be thought of like nested groups, one inside another. Homo sapiens is part of the genus Homo. The genus Homo is part of the hominin group. And the hominins are part of the larger hominid family, which includes all the great apes.

In this way, scientists have classified modern humans like us as one small but important branch on a much larger family tree. And there are precise names that scientists give to each of the branches, as just explained.

To a scientist, the word “human” is a flexible term, depending on the context. In genetics or medical research, scientists may use the word “human” as equivalent to Homo sapiens, our modern human species. In many fields like paleoanthropology (the study of early humans), the word “human” is often used more broadly to mean all members of the genus Homo. Sometimes, especially in teaching or general writing “human” can also be used loosely to include all hominins.

Exploring how the species name of “Homo sapiens” is used in science

In the context of Genesis 1, it makes sense to focus on the species Homo sapiens. The man Adam and woman Eve who were created in Genesis 1:27 were almost certainly of the Homo sapiens species. From the text of Genesis 1:27, we cannot say for certain if Adam and Eve were the first Homo sapiens, if the

Creator made Adam and Eve from existing Homo sapiens, or if the Creator made them as a separate creation that shared most of the characteristics of the Homo sapiens species. In any of these cases, it would be helpful for us to review what scientists have discovered about the Homo sapiens species.

The oldest examples of the Homo sapiens species found so far are dated from about 315,000 years ago. These fossils were found at the Jebel Irhoud site in Morocco, Africa. Scientists identified Homo sapiens using anatomical features that are preserved in fossils. The key traits include a high, rounded skull, a reduced brow ridge, a smaller, flatter face, and the presence of a chin. No other hominins have a chin. These early Homo sapiens have the appropriate bone structure to confidently classify them. But from their surrounding environment, it does not appear that they exhibit the advanced behavior that is usually associated with the species of Homo sapiens.

Some of the advanced behaviors that scientists say are unique to the Homo sapiens species include abstract thinking for concepts like time, identity, cosmology, and symbolism. These behaviors are shown in archeological records through cave art, personal ornaments, and burial rituals. Other characteristics of Homo sapiens are advanced language capabilities, cultural accumulation of knowledge, social complexity, and behavioral flexibility. These characteristics are displayed through transmission of cultural knowledge across generations, rapid evolution of technology, trade across long distances, and adaptation to different environments like arctic tundra, tropical forests, and deserts.

The current practice of scientists is to attribute these advanced behaviors to the Homo sapiens species. But scientists do not have official Linnaean classification names to differentiate between Homo sapiens that do not exhibit these behaviors from Homo sapiens that do exhibit these behaviors (see Chapter 5 for a review of the Linnaean classification system). Scientists do, however, use some standard scientific terms to make the distinction. One set of terms is “Anatomically Modern Humans” versus “Behaviorally Modern Humans”.

The appearance of Behaviorally Modern Humans is more recent than the appearance of Anatomically Modern Humans. And the development of Behaviorally Modern Humans appears to be gradual in many ways. From about 200,000 to 120,000 years ago, there were increasing tool variations. Symbolism seemed to be rare or the evidence is ambiguous. The first clear evidence for the use of symbols can be dated to about 120,000 to 90,000 years ago. This included intentional burials, the ceremonial use of red ochre, and early jewelry and ornaments. Evidence of these artifacts have been found in the Qafzeh

and Skhul caves in Northern Israel.  Evidence from about 100,000 to 70,000 years ago in the Blombos cave in South Africa shows further development of the use of symbols using engraved geometric patterns, standardized shell beads, and pigment processing work areas. From about 70,000 to 50,000 years ago, tools became more advanced and standardized and long distance trade networks developed. Artifacts from about 50,000 to 40,000 years ago have now been found that exhibit most of the behavior that scientists attribute to modern Homo sapiens. These include musical instruments, a rapid expansion across planet Earth, cave art, and sculptures of recognizable stone figures that include composite beings like the Lion Man.

Scientific Evidence for this Event

The historical science evidence for the appearance of Homo sapiens comes from several different types of analysis. These include the following.

• Radiometric dating of fossil bones
• Radiometric dating of nearby rock layers
• Chemical testing for composition of bones and other fossilized remains
• Testing of DNA if available
• The contents of the surrounding environment, including tools, jewelry, paintings, or other artifacts
• Structure and shape of the fossil bones

Another reason we can trust these findings is that fossils have been discovered in many different places. Early Homo sapiens fossils have been found in several regions of Africa, including Morocco and Ethiopia. The similarities between these fossils show a pattern of gradual change over time. Scientists compare skull shapes, jaw sizes, and other features very carefully. They measure bones and use computer models to analyze small differences. When fossils from different locations show consistent patterns, it strengthens the overall conclusion that Homo sapiens developed gradually in Africa.

In recent decades, DNA research has added even more support. Scientists have learned how to extract genetic material from ancient bones and compare it with the DNA of living people. These genetic studies show that all modern humans share a common ancestry in Africa. They also show that humans outside Africa carry small amounts of Neanderthal DNA, which confirms that early Homo sapiens met and interbred with other human species after leaving Africa. The fact that DNA evidence matches what fossils and archaeology suggest gives scientists even greater confidence.

Fossils, stone tools, rock dating, and DNA studies all tell a consistent story. The Homo sapiens species developed in Africa hundreds of thousands of years ago and gradually became the only surviving human species.

How the Event Description Harmonizes with Genesis 1

The creation of Adam and Eve in Genesis 1:27 is the last act of creation that is described in Genesis 1. Mankind was created in God’s image and was given responsibility to take care of the earthly environment that the Creator had made. The parallel with the appearance of Homo sapiens on this Earth can be derived from several different factors.

For one thing, it is Homo sapiens that have come to rule the world, as was stated as a goal in Genesis 1:28.

Although we cannot say for certain whether Adam and Eve were the first Homo sapiens or a different special creation based on Homo sapiens, it is clear that Genesis 1:27 is describing a man and woman who would match the current species of Homo sapiens.

It is also mankind above any other creature that has attributes that would be considered most like the Creator. These include attributes like complex language, higher-level cognition, social learning, and moral reasoning, among others.

For all of these reasons, it would appear that the harmony between the appearance of Homo sapiens and the passage from Genesis 1:26-28 should be classified as Very Consistent.