Human Origins: Adam, Eve, and Evolution
Tuesday, 07 Mar 2023 at 7:00 pm – Sun Room, Memorial Union
Speaker: Dr. S. Joshua SwamidassEvolutionary science teaches that humans, arose from a population, sharing common ancestors with other animals. Most readers of the book of Genesis in the past understood all humans descended from Adam and Eve a couple specially created by God. These two teachings seem contradictory, but is that necessarily so?
In a conversation with Dr. Ingebritsen, Dr. Swamidass will explain his scientific hypothesis: What if the traditional biblical account is somehow true, with the origins of Adam and Eve taking place alongside evolution? Building on well-established but overlooked science, Swamidass explains how it's possible for Adam and Eve to be rightly identified as the ancestors of everyone. This work opens new possibilities for understanding Adam and Eve, consistent both with the current scientific consensus and with traditional readings of Scripture.
S. Joshua Swamidass, MD, PhD, is a computational biologist, physician, academic and author. He is Associate professor in the Laboratory and Genomic Medicine Division at Washington University in St Louis. He uses artificial intelligence to explore science at the intersection of biology, chemistry, and medicine. He has published over 150 articles. Dr. Swamidass is a Christian who is a rising star in the faith and science area with his Peaceful Science blog (Peaceful Science) and his recent book, The Genealogical Adam and Eve: The Surprising Science of Universal Ancestry (2019).
Thomas S. Ingebritsen, PhD is an Associate Professor Emeritus in the Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology at Iowa State University. He received a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from Indiana University in 1979. He has been teaching an Honors Seminar entitled Christianity and Science for the last 23 years.
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