DNA Study Reveals Diverse Human, Animal and Plant Traces on Turin Shroud

A team of Italian researchers published a DNA sequencing analysis of the Turin Shroud in the journal *Scientific Reports* (July 2023). By applying modern metagenomic methods to the 1978 samples, they identified DNA from multiple sources: human lineages, chiefly Middle‑Eastern (≈55 %), with smaller contributions from Indian (≈39 %) and European (≈6 %) ancestries; animal DNA from cattle, pigs, chickens, dogs and cats; plant DNA from carrots, wheat, maize, bananas, peanuts and other cultivated species; and marine red coral DNA. The microbial profile includes bacteria, fungi and archaea, reflecting centuries of handling.

The strongest human mitochondrial signal matched the Ashkenazi‑Jewish haplogroup K1a1b1a and corresponded to the DNA of Pierluigi Baima Bollone, the Italian scientist who collected the original samples in 1978, indicating modern contamination. The study also noted that the original sampling was done without gloves, further compromising sterility. While the findings map a complex history of contamination, they do not determine the Shroud’s age or original origin.