An Alternate Hypothesis for the Image Color

The outstanding characteristic of the Shroud image is the discontinuous distribution of the color on the surface. Color appears predominantly on the highest parts of the threads in the weave, as can be seen from the excellent photomicrographs taken by Mark Evans of STURP. Copies of Evans' collection are available from the Shroud web site (www.shroud.com). I would especially recommend ME-029, a 64X magnification of the image area near the nose. You can see specular reflection (a shine) on many of the parts of the thread that descend to go under the adjoining thread in the weave. Image areas other than the nose and feet show almost completely discontinuous color. This observation would seem to rule out any hypothesis for image formation that involved simple diffusion, capillary flow, or radiation.