48-year-old samples from Shroud of Turin still carry traces of a complex journey

The Shroud of Turin continues to fascinate historians with a new study now revealing the complex biological history that remains preserved in the DNA traces on it. In research published in Scientific Reports on July 9, scientists wrote that samples gathered from the cloth in 1978 still contain a record of the biological material that accumulated on it over centuries. The analysis done through advanced genomic sequencing provides the most detailed account of biological history that got deposited on the piece of cloth from humans and the environment.

Among the traces found on the Shroud are human mitochondrial DNA lineages, along with bacteria, fungi, and microorganisms. The diversity of the genetic material shows that the cloth was handled by a wide group of people from different parts of the world. The researchers detected genetic material from plants, animals, and Mediterranean red coral.

The discovery shows that the Shroud was contaminated through various stages of life, making it hard to determine its origin and earliest history. However, it is still impossible to say whether it is authentic. It further shows how forensic genomics and proteomics can reconstruct aspects of an object’s biological past.

Complex history of the Shroud of Turin

The biological traces found on the Shroud reveal that it underwent a long journey, travelling through different times and regions. The microbes found on it are commonly associated with human skin, fungi, and salt-adapted archaea. DNA from many plants and animals was also identified. Signs of cultivated wheat, carrots, corn, bananas, and peanuts have also been found on the Shroud. Animal traces are from cattle, pigs, chickens, dogs, and cats.

Professor Noemi Procopio, Professor of Forensic Science at the University of Lancashire, said, "The Shroud of Turin continues to fascinate historians, scientists and the public," adding the Shroud "represents a rich archive of genetic information that has accumulated over centuries of human interaction and environmental exposure."