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Why was the carbon 14 dating incorrect?
Carbon 14 dating in 1988 suggested that the Shroud
of Turin was a medieval piece of cloth. However, significant other data
suggested that the Shroud was indeed much older, perhaps first century
and from the environs of Jerusalem.
Several ideas were put forward in an attempt to
explain why the carbon 14 dating might be wrong. Some of these
explanation were widely reported though few had any scientific merit.
One theory was that a fire in 1532, that almost
destroyed the Shroud, had changed the carbon 14 isotope ratio and hence
the measurement age of the cloth. Another theory was that a
bioplastic-polymer growing on the cloth contaminated the sample.
Scientists, who were knowledgeable in radiocarbon dating science
dismissed these ideas as preposterous.
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Photomicrograph of fibers from a warp segment of carbon-14
sample. Chemically, it is unlike the rest of the Shroud.
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In 2005 an article appeared in a peer-reviewed
scientific journal Thermochimica Acta. It showed that the carbon
14 dating was flawed because the sample was chemically different from
the rest of the cloth. It suggested that the corner from which the
sample was taken for carbon dating had been mended. Consequently, the
sample contained a significant amount of newer material.
Moreover, this scientific article, by Raymond N.
Rogers, a well-published chemist, and a Fellow of the Los Alamos
National Laboratory, explained why the cloth was much older. Because the
cloth did not contain any vanillin, it could be determined that it was
at least twice as old as the radiocarbon date, and possibly 2000 years
old. Vanillin disappears with age and establishes threshold measurements
of age.
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Chemical Differences |
Carbon 14
Sample
Area |
The Rest
of the
Shroud |
| Madder Root Dye |
Yes |
No |
| Alum Mordant |
Yes |
No |
| Plant Gum Complex
with Dye |
Yes |
No |
| Cotton Fibers |
Yes |
No |
| Spliced Threads |
Yes |
No |
| Vanillin in Lignin |
Yes |
No |
Helpful Links:
Raes
Corner
Early
Clues Something Was Wrong in the Carbon 14 Dating
Clues
from Vanillin Content
Why
it is not a Bioplastic Contamination
What is
Carbon 14 Dating
Two
Methods Used for Radiocarbon Dating
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