Have scientists proven the biblical creation story? The study that surprised even believers

A new study on the formation of the moon, which showed that it may have appeared almost fully formed within about five hours, is being interpreted by religious users as confirmation of the biblical creation story. The article clarifies that the researchers did not attempt to examine the Book of Genesis, but notes the intriguing coincidence that has reignited the debate between faith and science.

A new study by the Southwest Research Institute and the University of Arizona used computer simulations to examine the collision that occurred about 4.5 billion years ago between the young Earth and an ancient Mars-sized body called Theia. In one scenario, when the researchers input the temperature and strength of rocks and metals into the model, a nearly complete moon formed within just five hours. This detail caught the attention of religious users online, who claimed the study aligns with the biblical account in Genesis, where it is described that on the fourth day of creation, God placed the sun and moon in the sky. Users wrote comments like "They already wrote about this in Genesis long ago" and "God can create everything with a single word." However, the article clarifies that the researchers did not attempt to examine the Book of Genesis at all, and the study deals with the physics of the collision. Genesis also does not specify how long the physical process of the moon's formation took, and in other studies, the collision still creates a large disk of debris. The article concludes that science has not declared Genesis correct, but has created an intriguing coincidence that has reignited the debate between faith and science.