Overview
- A University of Padova team posted a bioRxiv preprint reanalyzing material collected from the shroud in 1978 and threads from the 1988 work, reporting a complex mix of DNA and about 38.7–40% of human maternal lineages tied to South Asia.
- The researchers say the cloth carries DNA from many handlers, which makes it impossible to isolate any original human DNA from the artifact.
- They also detected genetic traces from domestic and wild animals and from plants including Mediterranean crops and later-introduced species such as potatoes and tomatoes, pointing to centuries of exposure and handling.
- Outside experts, including Stockholm University paleogeneticist Anders Götherström, continue to cite the 1988 radiocarbon tests dating the linen to 1260–1390 CE as the strongest evidence for a medieval origin.
- The authors suggest the yarn could have been produced or traded through Indus-region routes or later contact added the signal, but the methods cannot date when DNA adhered, and the study has not yet undergone peer review.