Scientists Reveal Hidden DNA Traces in the Shroud of Turin

PCR-free next-generation metagenomic sequencing of official 1978 Shroud of Turin samples found mixed human, microbial, plant, and animal DNA.

The results point to biological material accumulated through long-term handling and environmental exposure, effectively turning the cloth into a biological archive.

The study does not date the Shroud or prove whether it is authentic, so the core origin question remains unresolved.

It highlights how modern forensic genomics can recover preservation and exposure history from historical artifacts.