Human Origins: Adam, Eve, and Evolution

Evolutionary 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 an Associate Professor of Laboratory and Genomic Medicine at Washington University in Saint Louis. He has published over 150 articles. He is a rising star in the area of faith and science with his Peaceful Science blog (Peaceful Science) and his recent book, The Genealogical Adam and Eve: The Surprising Science of Universal Ancestry. Dr. Swamidass was recently elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), for his distinguished contributions to the field of deep learning in computational biology, and for extraordinary public outreach promoting an understanding of science among communities of faith. AAAS is the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the Science family of journals. Election to be a AAAS fellow is among the highest honors in science.

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.

This event was recorded and will be available to view on the available recordings page: https://www.lectures.iastate.edu/recordings/available-recordings