Why an Atheist Thinks the Shroud of Turin is the Real Deal

It has been noticed that the Shroud of Turin—except

Vanillin

It has been noticed that the Shroud of Turin—except for one rather tiny corner from which material was snipped away for carbon dating—does not contain any measurable quantity of vanillin. In 1782, French chemist from Dijon, Louis-Bernard Guyton de Morveau, best known to history for his pioneering use a hot air balloon, l'Entreprenant, for military reconnaissance during the French Revolution, suggested a simpler, less confusing method for naming chemicals to “help the intelligence and relieve the memory.” And so vanillin is simply called 4-hydroxy-3-methoxybenzaldehyde. Its chemical formula is C₈H₈O₃. We will continue to call it Vanillin.

Vanillin is one of many ingredients in vanilla extract made from vanilla beans. However, because of the high cost of vanilla beans, most vanilla that we use today as flavoring agent or aromatic is made with synthetic vanillin produced from a nasty brown liquid left over from a wood pulping plant or from guaiacol which comes from wood tar.