1. Science and Creationism 22. Longevity © Colin Frayn, 2008-2011 www.frayn.net

2. © Colin Frayn, 2008-2011 www.frayn.net Biblical Ages How long did the partiarchs live? –Adam : 930 yrs –Methusela : 969 yrs –Noah: 950 yrs Oldest man who ever lived (Guinness book of records) died at 129 That’s with the benefit of: –7 billion people to choose from –Modern medicine –Abundant food and running water –Shelter, heating, transport etc. Archaeological records show that the average life expectancy in the Bronze age, around 5000 BCE, was 20-30 years –Yet only one of the patriarchs died before 900 (and he was 777)! Habib Miyan, Died at 129 Oldest man on Earth?

3. © Colin Frayn, 2008-2011 www.frayn.net Protection by Atmospheric Water Would a vapour canopy protect us? Of course, it’s physically impossible The vapour canopy is unbiblical –The Bible talks about the stars of the heavens, but these would have been obscured by a water canopy. The canopy would have acted like a thick cloud –To have enough to block out harmful radiation, you would also need to block out much of the useful light How would plants thrive without enough light? –When the canopy ‘fell’, we would have been left out in the open, without any natural sun protection Everyone would have burned, then died of cancer!

4. © Colin Frayn, 2008-2011 www.frayn.net High Oxygen Can high oxygen levels help us to live longer? We know that oxygen levels have not substantially changed for millions of years –So they were not higher in the early days of the Old Testament Would high oxygen lead to long lives? –Actually there’s evidence that the reverse is true – low oxygen leads to longer lives. (Baibas et al., 2005)

5. © Colin Frayn, 2008-2011 www.frayn.net After the flood Why didn’t ages suddenly drop? Seth – 912 years Jared – 962 years Kenan – 910 years Methuselah – 969 years Lamech – 777 years Noah – 950 years Flood…………………………… Shem – 600 years Eber – 464 years Serug – 230 years Nahor – 148 years Terah – 205 years If the vapur canopy was keeping people alive, then why did the ages only come down slowly? Alternative hypothesis: The ages are fictional.

6. © Colin Frayn, 2008-2011 www.frayn.net Hunza People How long do they live? –A recent study said: Men : 53 years Women: 52 years Claims of great ages are probably fabricated for tourists John Clark – 1950s –Ages include an estimation of “personal wisdom” “ The great Hunza secret to old age turned out to be its absence of birth records. The illiterate elders didn't know how old they were, and they tended to overestimate their ages by a decade or two, as I discovered by comparing their recollections with known historical events. Hunza didn't have an unusual number of centenarians, it turned out, and its traditional way of life was not a formula for good health.” John Tierney, The New York Times, September 29 th, 1996