CONSERVATION AND PRESERVATION OF THE SHROUD OF TURIN

The Shroud of Turin has long been an object of religious and historical controversy.1 It is only comparatively recently that it has also become an object of scientific contention.2, 3 These polemical matters more recently have been exacerbated by the C14 dating of a Shroud sample to the mid-14th century.4, 5 A great deal of mass media coverage has exploited this hubris and accepted the Shroud simply as a painting.5 This oversimplified conclusion ignores the large scientific base of observations arguing against the Shroud being a painting.6, 7, 8, 9 Although the problems in authentication of the Shroud have been thoroughly examined,10 much of the confusion over the meaning of the scientific research resides in the layman's failure to understand what science can and cannot do about the problem of "authenticity". It has already been noted that scientific studies can only disauthenticate and never authenticat