 |
The Shroud
of Turin: modern photo of the face, positive left,
negative right. Negative
has been contrast enhanced. (Wikipedia)
|
Italian
government scientists have claimed to have discovered evidence that a
supernatural event formed the image on the Turin Shroud, believed by many to be
the burial cloth of Jesus Christ.
After years
of work trying to replicate the colouring on the shroud, a similar image has
been created by the scientists.
However,
they only managed the effect by scorching equivalent linen material with
high-intensity ultra violet lasers, undermining the arguments of other
research, they say, which claims the Turin Shroud is a medieval hoax.
Such
technology, say researchers from the National Agency for New Technologies,
Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (Enea), was far beyond the
capability of medieval forgers, whom most experts have credited with making the
famous relic.
"The
results show that a short and intense burst of UV directional radiation can
colour a linen cloth so as to reproduce many of the peculiar characteristics of
the body image on the Shroud of Turin," they said.
And in case
there was any doubt about the preternatural degree of energy needed to make
such distinct marks, the Enea report spells it out: "This degree of power
cannot be reproduced by any normal UV source built to date."
A statement
by lead researcher, Dr Paolo Di Lazzaro, said: "If our results prompt a
philosophical or theological debate, these conclusions we'll leave to the
experts; to each person's own conscience," he said.
Luigi
Garlaschelli, a professor of chemistry at Pavia University, told The
Independent: "The implications are... that the image was formed by a burst
of UV energy so intense it could only have been supernatural. But I don't think
they've done anything of the sort."
Related Articles:
No comments:
Post a Comment