Does the Similarity of Human Blood to Sea Water Prove Life Originated in the Ocean? | The Institute for Creation Research

Does the Similarity of Human Blood to Sea Water Prove Life Originated in the Ocean?

Evolutionists have a bank full of stories used to support evolution which sound good on the surface. I think I first heard this one in a junior high school assembly during a "Mr. Wizard" film. The wise and believable professor in the film convinced his young assistant that evolution had to be true by showing how similar human blood is to seawater. The fact that the same chemicals (such as salt) are in each "proves" man's relation to all of life, which originated in the sea. But as with many of the evolutionary tales, this one doesn't stand up to scrutiny.

First off, while both contain many of the same salts, concentration of dissolved particles in blood is very different from that in seawater. The primary constituents of both are sodium and chlorine (which together make up common salt, NaCl), but seawater has three times as much sodium and five times as much chlorine per unit weight. Hardly the same. Furthermore, it contains eight times as much calcium and fifty times as much magnesium.

On the other hand, some dissolved salts are greater in blood than in seawater. Blood has two hundred times more zinc, two hundred and fifty times more iron, and one thousand times more copper. All of these (and many others) found in both are common minerals found everywhere, in both organic systems and inorganic rocks. Of course they would be found in blood and seawater as well as inorganic clay. Since the suite of these minerals is so different in blood and seawater, it seems unwarranted to claim that one comes from the other. To be fair, this argument for evolution seldom appears in modern textbooks. Its prominence in textbooks from 1940-1970, however, insures its continuance by those who learned it then. It's indelibly imprinted in evolutionary folklore.

The second point which could be made is that the claim for similarity is made comparing human blood to modern-day seawater, but shouldn't it be to seawater long ago, when life arose and the precursors of blood first evolved? We know that the ocean's salinity increases each day, as rivers dump their dissolved solids into it. Evolutionists propose (without evidence) a steady state for the ocean, but wouldn't the concentrations have changed throughout its over (supposedly) three-billion-year history? Maybe the differing concentrations between blood and seawater better prove evolution. Maybe that's their next claim.

Finally, as far as blood is concerned, it's not just the mineral concentration that's important. The cell's DNA is designed to use these minerals to form extraordinarily complex molecules, building structural proteins and enzymes, etc., utilizing the mineral ions to transport nutrients, conduct electrical impulses, barricade out harmful chemicals, and a host of other functions. This is true for both single-celled organisms and multi-celled plants and animals. All of this is far different from anything in seawater. In fact, seawater destroys these necessary constituents of life.

No, blood and seawater are quite different, but even similarity wouldn't prove evolution. Nothing could prove evolution, 'cause it isn't true.

Cite this article: John D. Morris, Ph.D. 2004. Does the Similarity of Human Blood to Sea Water Prove Life Originated in the Ocean?. Acts & Facts. 33 (2).

The Latest
CREATION.LIVE PODCAST
Searching for Truth Across the Globe | Creation.Live Podcast:...
How can we bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the truth of creation to others outside our small spheres of influence?   Host...

NEWS
Marine Mammals: Designed for Deep Diving
While you’re reading this, hold your breath. What is now happening is your blood is delivering the last of oxygenated blood cells to your tissues...

CREATION PODCAST
Humanity's Demise at the Hands of Genetic Entropy | The Creation...
Welcome to the fourth episode in a series called “The Failures of Old Earth Creationism.” Many Christians attempt to fit old earth...

NEWS
''Inside-Out'' Fossil is Amazingly Preserved
It is widely known that vast numbers of fossils—vertebrate and invertebrate—have been discovered incredibly well-preserved.1,2...

NEWS
The Resurrection and the Origin of Life
At Easter time we focus on the cardinal Christian doctrine of the Resurrection. Without the Resurrection, Christianity is a sham. The truth that Jesus...

NEWS
Is an Ancient Extinct Tree-Dweller Our Relative?
Human evolution has always been hazy with seemingly as many attempted explanations for how we evolved from animals as there are paleoanthropologists. Evolutionists...

NEWS
The Return of the Dire Wolf?
There’s been much recent excitement about the birth of three dire wolf (Aenocyon dirus) puppies by a Dallas-based biotech company: Colossal Bioscience....

CREATION PODCAST
Cracks in the Layers: Lake Suigetsu and the Old Earth Illusion...
Welcome to the third episode in a series called “The Failures of Old Earth Creationism.” Many Christians attempt to fit old earth...

NEWS
Fish Fossil Vomit
A rather unsavory news story recently appeared regarding fossilized vomit. Although it’s hardly dinner table conversation, it nonetheless supports...

NEWS
Dino Footprints Down Under
Dinosaur trackways1 are once again making the news. Australia is the setting of a remarkable series of dinosaur tracks attributed to ornithischian...