Researchers led by Gianni Barcaccia at the University of Padova have identified DNA from numerous animals, plants, and humans contaminating the Shroud of Turin. The new study reexamines material collected in 1978, revealing traces that suggest extensive handling and possible links to India. Findings complicate debates over the relic's medieval origins.
The Shroud of Turin, a 4.4-metre-long by 1.1-metre-wide cloth housed at the Cathedral of Saint John the Baptist in Turin, Italy, has long been venerated as the burial wrapping of Jesus Christ. First documented in France in 1354, it underwent radiocarbon dating in 1988 that placed its creation between 1260 and 1390, a result accepted by most scientists despite ongoing disputes among some scholars. In 2015, Barcaccia's team first proposed an Indian origin based on earlier analysis of the same 1978 samples now revisited in the latest research. Barcaccia's group detected DNA from domestic animals like cats and dogs, farm species including chickens, cattle, goats, sheep, pigs, and horses, as well as wild animals such as deer and rabbits. Traces also appeared from fish like grey mullet and Atlantic cod, marine crustaceans, insects including flies and aphids, and arachnids such as mites and ticks. Plant DNA included carrots, wheat species, peppers, tomatoes, and potatoes—crops introduced to Europe after explorations of Asia and the Americas. Human DNA came from multiple handlers, including the 1978 sampling team, with nearly 40 per cent linked to Indian lineages. The researchers noted that this diversity challenges identifying any original DNA and points to the shroud's broad exposure in the Mediterranean, possibly with linen imported from near the Indus Valley. Anders Götherström at Stockholm University affirmed the 1988 dating's robustness, stating, “I still see no reason to doubt that the shroud is French and from the 13th-14th century.” He emphasized the relic's documented history as more compelling than unproven legendary claims.