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

Conflicting Results

They noted that  radiocarbon measurements on charcoal and snail shells from the Graeco-Roman period in Egypt gave very conflicting results. The snail problem has surfaced. Not only might snails be a problem, but so to might anything that ate snails from water rich in depleted carbon like those found in artesian spring in Nevada.

But they seemed to prefer “bacterial infestation.” And the concluding paragraph of their paper makes this clear, but with a significant amount of caution.

Meanwhile, although the results of the present measurements include the possibility that the bioplastic coating observed on the cloth fibers of the wrappings of the ibis cause it to yield a radiocarbon age several hundred years younger that it true age, they are far from definitive. It would be premature to draw any conclusions about the true age of the Turin Shroud from these measurements. (49)