Events for March 22, 2026

Physics has something to say about reality. It would not have survived as an approach to the world for so many centuries if that wasn’t the case. Yet we have to be careful. Physics has bought its success by narrowing its focus and developing a specific approach. We shouldn’t think of it as a ‘catch-all,’ capable of accounting for everything that we experience.

That’s a hard lesson for a physicist to learn.

Stored in the cathedral of Turin is a strip of linen cloth. On one side of the material is the faint image of a crucified male. Contextually, it appears to be a rendering of Christ after being taken down from the cross. Carbon dating of a sample taken from the cloth places it as medieval in origin. Its documented provenance also fades away in that era. Yet, it’s remarkably difficult to explain how an image of that nature was formed. There is also good scientific reasons to be doubtful of the carbon date.