DNA belonging to a researcher has been found on the Shroud of Turin

We are referring to the Italian professor Pierluigi Baima Bollone. His mitochondrial DNA matched the main lineage identified in several samples of the shroud. Analysis of other parts of the genome also indicated that he is a close relative.

This neither proves nor disproves the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin. On the contrary, the result demonstrates just how much centuries of handling, storage and research have contaminated the fabric — and why it is virtually impossible to isolate the original human DNA from it.

Details

The Shroud of Turin is a linen cloth approximately 4.4 metres long, bearing the image of the front and back of a human body. Many Christians revere it as the cloth in which the body of Jesus Christ may have been wrapped after the crucifixion. Its origin and age remain the subject of long-standing debate.

For the new study, scientists gained access to a collection gathered during an examination of the shroud in 1978. This included flax fibres, dust samples and a small biological fragment – a total of 12 samples.

DNA was extracted in clean laboratory facilities to minimise the risk of new contamination. The researchers then used whole-genome sequencing: rather than searching for pre-selected fragments, they sequenced the entire available mixture of genetic material. They were able to obtain sequences suitable for analysis from seven of the samples.

In three of these, the researchers were able to identify with reasonable accuracy the main lineage of mitochondrial DNA – the genetic material passed down through the maternal line. It belonged to the K1a1b1a group.

The same sequence was found in Pierluigi Baim Bollone, who had collected material from the shroud. Further analysis of nuclear DNA revealed a very close relationship: the genetic traces could have belonged to the researcher himself or to a first-degree relative. The authors consider it most likely that the DNA was left by the sample collector himself.

And this is hardly surprising. In the 1970s, the rules governing the handling of historical artefacts did not provide the same level of protection against contamination as modern laboratory protocols. Touching with bare hands, hair, skin particles and even breath could have left biological material on the fabric.

What else was found on the shroud

In addition to the researcher’s main sequence, scientists found traces of several other lines of human mitochondrial DNA. Some of these are common in Europe and Western Eurasia, whilst the rare H33 line is also found amongst the population of the Middle East.

However, these traces do not allow us to reconstruct the shroud’s route or determine the origin of the person whose image remains on the fabric. The genetic material is mixed, heavily damaged and may have ended up on the cloth over the course of several centuries.

A whole biological mosaic has also been discovered on the shroud:

• bacteria found on human skin;
• moulds and yeasts capable of surviving in a dry environment;
• halophilic microorganisms;
• DNA from wheat, carrots, maize, bananas and peanuts;
• traces of cats, dogs, chickens, cattle and pigs;
• genetic markers of Mediterranean red coral.

Such diversity does not imply that the shroud has been to all the regions where these plants grow or where the organisms found are native. Maize, bananas and peanuts, for example, may have left traces in relatively recent times — during the storage, display or study of the relic.

Why ‘original DNA’ cannot be found

The fragments of human DNA turned out to be short and degraded, which at first glance might have suggested they were ancient. However, a more detailed analysis revealed that the contamination was predominantly modern.

Over 98 per cent of the sequenced fragments lacked the characteristic chemical damage that usually helps distinguish ancient DNA from modern DNA. Only a small proportion of the fragments met the minimum criteria for ancient material, but this is insufficient to confidently link the DNA to the fabric’s early history.

Protein analysis yielded a similar result. The scientists detected mainly keratins and other proteins associated with human skin. The study did not reveal any conclusive traces of ancient proteins.

Therefore, genetics cannot yet answer who first touched the shroud, where it was made, or how long ago the image of a human appeared on it.

Why this is important

The study shows that historical artefacts can become veritable biological archives. They preserve traces of people, microorganisms, animals and plants with which they have come into contact throughout their history.

At the same time, the research highlights the limitations of modern methods. Even precise sequencing does not automatically allow us to distinguish original traces from contamination that has accumulated over the centuries.

It is particularly telling that the main human genetic signal was successfully linked to a participant in the 1978 study. This serves as a warning to archaeologists, museum staff and forensic scientists: without strict rules for the collection and storage of samples, later DNA can almost completely mask earlier DNA.

Background

The history of the Shroud of Turin can be reliably traced in Western Europe from the 14th century. Its proponents believe that the fabric may have existed much earlier and originated in the Middle East; however, there is no generally accepted confirmation of this theory.

The new study does not revise the results of previous dating and does not establish the age of the main cloth. The authors separately dated two fibres found in the reliquary, but these turned out to be material used to repair the shroud following damage in 1534 and 1694.

Thus, the new study is not concerned with proving the relic’s authenticity, but rather with its biological history — the traces accumulated during storage, transport, public displays and scientific research.

Source

The study was conducted by Gianni Barkaccia, Nicola Rambaldi Migliore, Giovanni Gabelli and their colleagues. The paper,‘DNA signatures preserved in the official 1978 sample collection of the Shroud of Turin’, was published on 9 July 2026 in the journal Scientific Reports.