Student cracks code hidden in Science Hall DNA art display

A four-story DNA double helix crawls up one of the walls along a stairwell in Liberty University’s Science Hall. Unbeknownst to passers-by, ever since the facility was completed well over a year ago, the artwork — a winding red ladder with a sequence of letters — has featured a hidden message.

But last month, senior biomedical sciences major Josiah Twiddy heard rumors that there may be a message in the artwork. He decided to write down all of the letters. Twenty minutes later, he had solved the puzzle.

“If you read genetic code,” Twiddy explained, “there are four letters — A, G, T, C — and if you take every three pairs of letters in that code, it stands for an amino acid, which is a building block for a protein. Every amino acid has a certain letter associated with it. If you read the code in groups of three, and then you look at the letter associated with the amino acid that each group of letters represents, the artwork spells out, ‘Christ is risen, He is risen, amen.’”

Dr. DeWitt, chair of Liberty’s Department of Biology & Chemistry, said that Dr. Jeremy Sellers presented the idea of hiding a code in the DNA display. Coming up with a message was a little tricky because there were only 20 letters to choose from (there are 20 amino acids, each with a single letter abbreviation), eliminating words that included letters like B, O, or U.

“I hope the hidden code in the DNA challenges our students to look for things that may be hidden in plain sight,” DeWitt said. “The code in the DNA is a reminder of two things. First, it is a reminder that the Lord Jesus Christ is our risen Savior. Second, for us as scientists we are really just uncovering what God has done and it is possible to recognize evidence for design.”

Twiddy said that “it feels good to be the one to figure it out.”

“Anyone could have done it,” he said. “There’s really nothing for me to brag about, except that I got to it first.”

Other artwork displays in the Science Hall were intentionally crafted to proclaim Liberty’s commitment to biblical principles. A permanent reminder of the Christian worldview is literally etched in stone at the South Entrance to the hall: “‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth,’ Genesis 1:1.” A “human element” plaza, at the North Entrance near the DNA stairwell, features atomic symbols for all of the elements found in the human body, including trace elements, etched in the stone. A plaque explains that Genesis 2:7 describes God making man from “the dust of the earth.”

“I am thrilled that both main entrances to the Science Hall acknowledge the Creator,” DeWitt said. “When visitors come in either the north or south side they can see that honoring God is of critical importance to us and we want everyone to know that. These will be very long term reminders that our primary purpose is to bring glory to the Lord.”

Twiddy appreciates the thought put into the design of the building’s artwork.

“The designers were putting what is most important first, glorifying God in all we do,” he said. “Liberty is giving us a good education, but on top of that, even in a piece of artwork they are showing that their main goal is our walk with Christ. It is cool enough that the DNA is there, but it is even better that there’s actually a message in it. I’m amazed how they did that.”

Liberty’s Science Hall, which opened in full last fall, has three floors dedicated to the Department of Biology & Chemistry and one for the Department of Health Professions (both of which are under the School of Health Sciences). The building is 121,000 square feet and is outfitted with over $2 million in high-tech equipment. Features include a cell culture facility, several research labs, a cadaver lab, forensic science lab, additional open labs, cold room (for biochemical procedures that require cold temperatures), plant/aquarium room, and a Creation Hall that displays fossils and other artifacts presenting the scientific evidence for a divine creator. (Read more in the Liberty Journal.)