Philip Ball on Thermochimica Acta Paper

Shortly after Rogers published his finding, in Thermochimica Acta, Philip Ball wrote an opinion piece for Nature, the journal that had published the carbon dating results in 1989. Ball wrote:

The scientific study of the Turin Shroud is like a microcosm of the scientific search for God. It does more to inflame any debate than settle it . . . . And yet, the shroud is a remarkable artifact, one of the few religious relics to have a justifiably mythical status. It is simply not known how the ghostly image of a serene, bearded man was made.

Ball’s assertion that it is not known how the image was made is correct. Scientists are not even close. There is no best explanation; not yet. There is no theory. Though there are some hypotheses, none seem to qualifies in terms of chemistry, physics and visual perception. The image remains inexplicable, baffling, downright weird. So far, even with the best of modern technology no one has been able to replicate it. We will explore it thoroughly. Its mysterious qualities are among the most entertaining and intriguing aspects of the shroud.