just to throw a monkey wrench into the discussion for jaguarman and others benefit:
maybe the physical ark was an "allegory," that is, the best the scribes of the time could do?
maybe the space aliens, the extraterrestrials, the original settlers lifted all the viable dna off the earth?
later, after the cleansing, that is, getting rid of the space alien hybrids that had polluted the human species
the aliens downloaded the human dna, and the animals, birds, reptiles, etc. to a rejuvenated earth and a re-do?
ancient humans recording history did the best they could do with the information that had available to them.
a great cloud of fire coming down on the mtn above moses?
a burning bush talking to moses as he prayed?
the Ark held a nuclear device?
we haven't scratched the surface?
