Turin shroud 'older than thought'

The Shroud of Turin is much older than suggested by radiocarbon dating carried out in the 1980s, according to a new study in a peer-reviewed journal.

A research paper published in Thermochimica Acta suggests the shroud is between 1,300 and 3,000 years old.

The author dismisses 1988 carbon dating tests which concluded that the linen sheet was a medieval fake.

The shroud, which bears the faint image of a blood-covered man, is believed by some to be Christ's burial cloth.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4210369.stm

 

I have a real problem imagining that in 1988, the scientists unwittingly used samples from a medieval patch, and not the original cloth. How dense is that? Still, I like the article, thanks for posting it. The shroud has blood on it, and I have read that it was determined to be from a male. I wonder, could modern technology make a clone from the dna, if they were able to secure it from the blood?

 

Carbon dating can produce false results, especially considering the fact the Shroud has once been partially burnt, which increased the carbon content, making it look younger.

However, it doesn't really matter because the Shroud doesn't prove anything about Jesus' divinity. It only proves that some guy was crucified.

 

ah, the shroud. i still think it's a fake, but it's kinda neat. i watched a program on it on the discovery channel, and the show claimed that the shroud was in fact da vinci's "photograph" using his camera obscura technique, or something like that. the evidence was very convincing.