The Hebrew Testament tells the story of Ancient Egypt being torn apart by a succession of plagues. Scientists now claim that there is evidence linking these plagues to global warming of the period and a local volcanic eruption.
Rather than explaining these plagues as the result of supernatural intervention, scientists explain that a chain of natural phenomena triggered by climate change and environmental disaster explain the fall of the Egyptian capital of Pi-Rameses on the Nile Delta, near the end of the reign of Pharaoh Rameses the Second.
A paleoclimatologist, Professor Augusto Magini, said: "Pharaoh Rameses II reigned during a very favourable climatic period. There was plenty of rain and his country flourished. However, this wet period only lasted a few decades. After Rameses' reign, the climate curve goes sharply downwards. There is a dry period which would certainly have had serious consequences."
The scientists believe this drastic climate change triggered the first of the plagues. Rising temperatures could have caused Burgundy Blood algae or Oscillatoria rubescens, which stains water red. The arrival of these algae could also result in an overpopulation of frogs, lice and flies. This overpopulation, could well have led to the fifth and sixth plagues – diseased livestock and boils.
Meanwhile, 400 miles away volcano Thera erupted spewing tons of ash into the air which scientists believe could be responsible for the hail (by mixing large quantities of ash with thunderstorms above Egypt). This event could also have caused higher precipitation and humidity forming ideal conditions for locusts. Furthermore, this event could easily have been the cause of the widespread darkness related by Scripture. Scientists recently found physical evidence that the ash fallout from this volcano reached Egypt.
In responding to these findings, Dr Robert Miller, associate professor of the Old Testament, from the Catholic University of America, stated: "I'm reluctant to come up with natural causes for all of the plagues. The problem with the naturalistic explanations, is that they lose the whole point. And the whole point was that you didn't come out of Egypt by natural causes, you came out by the hand of God."
(For the full article please read www.telegraph.co.uk)