Shroud of Turin dating disputed by couple

COLORADO SPRINGS, Aug. 17 (UPI) -- A couple in Colorado Springs, Colo., has alleged the accepted radiocarbon dating of the famed Shroud of Turin is inaccurate.

John and Rebecca Jackson say that while three laboratories dated the alleged burial cloth of Jesus Christ to the Middle Ages, they believe that dating was off by an estimated 1,300 years, the Los Angeles Times reported Sunday.

Physicist John Jackson said the 1988 dating of the shroud was likely skewed by a form of contamination and is prepared to work with Oxford University to find the religious item's true origins.

"It's the radiocarbon date that to our minds is like a square peg in a round hole. It's not fitting properly, and the question is why," the University of Colorado professor said.

The Vatican owns the shroud and has yet to give official permission for the scientist to investigate the priceless artifact, the Times reported.

Meanwhile, geologist Steven Schafersman said on his Web site that the new dating effort will likely fail in the hands of Jackson.

"He's had other ideas, but they've all been shot down, and this one will be shot down too," he said. "Ordinary people know this is just a relic."