For years, the Shroud of Turin has been rumored to be the burial cloth of Jesus. The tattered and ancient cloth is “stained” with the image of a man’s face and body. The image on the cloth seems to suggest that the person it covered was crucified. Those who have studied the cloth have been able to find what appears to be nail holes in the wrists and even a crown of thorns around the man’s head.

While many people strongly believe that the Shroud of Turin is authentic and that the image was created by a higher power, there are also those who call it a fake, hoax or claim that it is misinterpreted. Over the last few decades, several scientists have studied the cloth and conducted numerous tests and experiments to determine if the shroud is the real deal.

There are hundreds of theories on how the image could have been created on the cloth, but a group of scientists, led by Alberto Carpinteri of the Politecnico di Torino in Italy have come up with a new and unique idea. The scientists believe that an earthquake could be responsible for the remarkable image of the man on the cloth and also claim that it could have caused the incorrect radiocarbon dating results that were conducted by a different group of scientist in 1989.

The scientists explained how this could be possible saying,

High-frequency pressure waves generated in the Earth’s crust during this earthquake could have produced significant neutron emissions. These neutron emissions could have interacted directly with nitrogen atoms in the linen fibers, inducing chemical reactions that created the distinctive face image on the shroud.

Although many scientists believe that this is theoretically possible, most do no think this is a likely scenario for the Shroud of Turin. Until tests can determine if the Shroud of Turin is real or a hoax, scientists will have to continue coming up with new experiments, theories and ideas to explain it.

How do you think the Shroud of Turin was created?

Image via Wikimedia Commons.