International researchers detect food DNA including carrot and bread wheat on Shroud of Turin
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Apr 26
International researchers detect food DNA including carrot and bread wheat on Shroud of Turin
7 articles · Updated · Fox News · Apr 26
A preprint study analyzing 1978 samples found carrot DNA accounted for 30.9% and bread wheat 11.6% of identified plant sequences on the Shroud, with additional traces of New World crops and various fruits.
The findings suggest centuries of contamination, as DNA from crops like tomatoes and peanuts likely entered after 1492, and the study concludes that metagenomics cannot determine the Shroud's precise age.
The Shroud, kept in Turin since 1578 and long debated by scientists and believers, remains a focal point for research, with recent studies offering conflicting evidence about its historical origins.
How will the discovery of human and animal DNA affect the shroud's future conservation?
Can new DNA techniques ever isolate the original traces from centuries of heavy contamination?
If New World plant DNA proves post-1492 contact, what does Indian DNA suggest about its earlier journey?
With its origin still debated, how can science explain the mysterious image on the cloth?
Since radiocarbon dating is disputed, what definitive test could finally settle the shroud's age?
Does a 14th-century treatise calling the shroud a fake outweigh modern scientific debate?