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94 The term for "seed" in the Old Babylonian and Assyrian recensions is the Akkadian word zeru (Zera in Hebrew) which stands for that from which living things sprout and grow. That these recensions stem from Sumerian originals has been clearly established; indeed, in some of the Akkadian versions the technical term for "seed" has been retained by its original Sumerian NUMUN, which was used to signify that by which a man had offspring. Taking on board "the seed of living beings" rather than the animals themselves not only reduced the space requirements to manageable proportions. It also implies the application of sophisticated biotechnology to preserve varied species—a technique being developed nowadays by learning the genetic secrets of DNA. This was feasible since Enki was involved; for he was the master of genetic engineering, symbolized in this capacity by the Entwined Serpents that emulated the double-helixed DNA (see Fig. 5). rather to The assigning by the Sumerian/Mesopotamian texts of the role of Mankind's savior to Enki makes much sense. He was the creator of The Adam and of Homo sapiens, and thus he understandably called the doomed Earthlings "my humans." As chief scientist of the Anunnaki he could select, obtain, and provide "the seed of all living things" for preservation, and possessed the knowledge of resurrecting those animals from their "seed" DNA. He was also best suited for the role of the designer of Noah's ark—a vessel of a special design that could survive the avalanche of water. All the versions agree that it was built according to exact specifications pro- vided by the deity. Built so that two-thirds of its great size would be below the waterline, it was given considerable stability. Its wooden structure was made waterproof with bitumen tar both inside and outside, so that when the tidal wave engulfed it even the upper decks would hold off the waters. The flat top had only one small jutting cubicle, whose hatch was also closed and sealed with bitumen when the time came to face the Deluge. Of the many suggestions for the shape of Noah's Ark, the one by Paul Haupt ("The Ship of the Babylonian Noah" in DIVINE ENCOUNTERS