Scientific DNA analysis of holy relics

Mid‑July 2026 a genome‑sequencing study of the Shroud of Turin reported DNA from at least 14 individuals and a wide array of plant, animal and marine taxa; human markers were roughly 40 % Indian and 55 % Middle‑Eastern, suggesting an Indian origin for the linen and later exposure to diverse environments. A subsequent July report applied the same methods to Portuguese “corpora santi” relics, documenting 59 whole‑body specimens.

Later in July, two metagenomic re‑analyses of the 1978 Shroud samples were published in *Scientific Reports*. The first (24 July) confirmed earlier taxa and added chicken, bananas and peanuts, while the strongest mitochondrial signal matched the Ashkenazi‑Jewish haplogroup K1a1b1a of Pierluigi Baima Bollone, the 1978 sample collector, indicating modern contamination from handling without gloves. The second (25 July) reiterated DNA from carrots, wheat, corn, domestic dogs, cats, cattle, pigs and Mediterranean red coral and described a complex bacterial, fungal and archaeal microbiome.

On 1 August 2026 a PCR‑free next‑generation metagenomic study led by Prof. Noemi Procopio (University of Lancashire) reported multiple human lineages (Middle‑Eastern, Indian and a modest European component), the same suite of cultivated‑plant and domestic‑animal DNA, and a skin‑associated microbial profile. The authors highlighted the forensic‑genomics value of such analyses for reconstructing the preservation and transport history of historic objects, but noted that the DNA evidence still does not resolve the Shroud’s age or original provenance.