REALLY, REALLY BIG DEAL: Here is the table of contents of a special issue of Scientific Research and Essays over at Academic Journals. This is enough to fill up your weekend and then some. It will keep us blogging and commenting for a month:
Recent Discoveries on The Turin Shroud
Special Issue
Editorial
G. Fanti
- An Object That Puzzles Scientists
- [Editorial]
Review
G. Fanti
- Open issues regarding the Turin Shroud
- [Abstract] [Full Text] [Full Article – PDF] pp. 2504-2512
- DOI: 10.5897/SRE12.380
Niels Svensson and Thibault Heimburger
- Forensic aspects and blood chemistry of the Turin Shroud Man
- [Abstract] [Full Text] [Full Article – PDF] pp. 2513-2525
- DOI: 10.5897/SRE12.385
Research Articles
César Barta and Alfonso V. Carrascosa
- The Shroud of Turin and its ancient copies
- [Abstract] [Full Text] [Full Article – PDF] pp. 2526-2544
- DOI: 10.5897/SRE12.384
Gérard Lucotte
- Optical and chemical characteristics of the mineral particles found on the face of the Turin Shroud
- [Abstract] [Full Text] [Full Article – PDF] pp. 2545-2553
- DOI: 10.5897/SRE12.383
Vitantonio Amoruso and Francesco Lattarulo
- A physicochemical interpretation of the Turin Shroud imaging
- [Abstract] [Full Text] [Full Article – PDF] pp. 2554-2579
- DOI: 10.5897/SRE12.380
Jorge García-Macedo, Naxi Cansino and Guadalupe Valverde-Aguilar
- Corona discharge to explain the image of the Turin Shroud: Experimental results
- [Abstract] [Full Text] [Full Article – PDF] pp. 2580-2590
- DOI: 10.5897/SRE12.381
Giuseppe Baldacchini and Francesco Baldacchini
- Image formation of the Turin Shroud: Hypothesis based on water vapor effects of light absorption
- [Abstract] [Full Text] [Full Article – PDF] pp. 2591-2602
- DOI: 10.5897/SRE12.378
A. Carpinteri, G. Lacidogna, A. Manuello and O. Borla
- Piezonuclear neutrons from earthquakes as a hypothesis for the image formation and the radiocarbon dating of the Turin Shroud
- [Abstract] [Full Text] [Full Article – PDF] pp. 2603-2612
- DOI: 10.5897/SRE12.379
M. Antonacci
- Particle radiation from the body could explain the Shroud’s images and its carbon dating
- [Abstract] [Full Text] [Full Article – PDF] pp. 2613-2623
- DOI: 10.5897/SRE12.376
Francisco Alconchel-Pecino
- A possible hypothesis for correcting the radiocarbon age of the Shroud of Turin
- [Abstract] [Full Text] [Full Article – PDF] pp. 2624-2640
- DOI: 10.5897/SRE12.432
John M. Morgan, III
- Digital image processing techniques demonstrating the anomalous nature of the radiocarbon dating sample area of the Shroud of Turin
- [Abstract] [Full Text] [Full Article – PDF] pp. 2641-2655
- DOI: 10.5897/SRE12.375
I came across the Svensson & Heimburger paper earlier today, while attempting a search for any research work corroborating no image under blood stains, following up Colin B’s recent assertions that there was insufficient evidence for this often repeated claim. He seems to favour the idea that leeches were used to paint the blood stains. The main source for the claim seems to be the work of Heller & Adler (1981) that Kelly Kearse mentions in a recent posting. The Shroud com “Facts 3” page also cites Schwalbe & Brillante as sources, but I had not been entirely successful in tracing their work. I suspect it all comes back to Heller & Adler.
Svensson & Heimburger also refer to the H&A 1981 paper, including the following comment: “From a forensic point of view, we must notice that this article has been published in a peer-reviewed journal (Canadian Society of Forensic Sciences Journal) dedicated to Forensic Science.” They then list seven results which they deem the most important. They give the following entry on item 7:
” ‘Protease tests, leaving no residues’. This is very important: “Within a half hour this solution completely “dissolved” the non-birefringent red particulate coated fibrils coating, leaving no particulate residues… This protease treatment also removes the golden yellow fibrils, corroborating their identification as “serum” coated fibrils. Interestingly, fibrils freed of their coating using this technique closely resemble the non-image fibrils when viewed under phase-contrast…” I take it that here they are quoting an H&A finding, and, unless I’m mistaking the intent, it seems to me that here is the main source for the assertion that there is no image under the blood stains.
Another aspect raised by CB was the very low potassium levels, which he claimed also suit his leech theory. Low potassium levels, are yet another by-product of physical trauma as explained in this paper.
I was surprised to see how recently this S&H paper had been published (30 July), and it seemed to cover a lot of new material fairly definitively. It is now apparent that it is only one of several delightful papers, from Academic Journals. There is certainly a great deal of material to catch up on.
I’ve just read García-Macedo’s article on corona discharge.
There is no corona discharge between the silver figure (modelling a human body) and the linen (oiled with baby-care almond oil and bleached with sodium hypochlorite).
There is a corona discharge between the needles and the linen but then “the current is conducted to earth through the points in which the metallic figure makes contact with the plane” [through the linen]
What I can see on figure 6a and c looks like scorches created by an intense current, and actually it seems to be : “When the corona discharge is present on the linen, the image begins to be formed by this SCP [slow combustion process]”.
I don’t understand why Colin Berry is ironical with this special issue, “a variable transformer connected to the line (120 V, 60 Hz) that feed a home-made DC voltage supply” is a way as another to create scorch marks.