Colin Berry, sciencebod as we also know him, has a new blog on the Shroud of Turin. Hello, all you Shroud sceptics out there it begins:
This new blog is a spin-off from the author’s ‘science buzz’ site, and is dedicated to exploding the myth that the Shroud of Turin defies explanation by modern science.
It does not. The Shroud is FULLY explainable in terms of basic technology that was available to medieval entrepreneurs, some of whom, in that highly God-fearing era, were keen to attract pilgrims – to say nothing of the spending power they brought with them.
Why should God’s work be available free of charge, they probably thought? Capitalism, or just earning a crust, had its roots established long before Adam Smith.
Postscript: this site is still under construction, needless to say. I’ll be adding sidebars etc in the next few days as and when I get acquainted with all of the WordPress bells and whistles.
It should get a lot of attention, because we’ll give it a lot of attention. Hey, my friend, I’m expecting a ping back.
Thank you for the mention Dan. I am gradually getting to grips with WordPress as a blog-hosting site (having previously used others) and knocking it into shape. Shame WordPress could not have allowed me to select the blog title before putting up that monstrosity with no spaces before going live. Do these web designers EVER assemble panels of new users to test out their products?
Anyway, here are the questions that I am currently addressing in my first real post (yes, it is a work in progress rather than a fait accompli)
POINTS TO BE ADDRESSED
• Lack of fluorescence of Shroud under uv
• Strippability with adhesive tape
• Faintness of the image, so-called half tone effects.
• Superficiality/thinness of the image. Failure to see damage in medullas of fibres.
• Response to a chemical reducing reagent (diimide) or oxidising agent (H2O2)
• The fact that the image is a negative, suggestive some say of photography
• Encoded 3D information
• Image not in the cellulose itself (?) but some kind of surface coating.
• Heat would have produced pyrolytic change in the blood stains.
PS: While it is not for me to tell you how to organize your site, Dan, have you not considered using the Add Latest Comments widget to display them in the sidebar?