Hi Nicole & others, I have studied about the Shroud since the 1980's and I've been to a couple big seminars with experts from NASA, STURP, Los Alamos Nation Lab and many international (mostly Italian) scientists. In response to the blood questions (I was really interested in the blood because I was a former Blood Bank Supervisor.) The blood is real and it is human. It is dried but more red than most dried blood. Recently a research team from Italy bombarded human blood with neutrons and it formed the same stable red color that is characteristic of the blood on the Shroud. Genetic test results show that the blood was from a male and was type AB. As a blood banker, I am not convinced the type is correct because I don't think they did a negative control. (This is probably getting to technical, sorry.)
You should read articles on the STERA website (Barry Schwortz) and also on ShroudUniversity.com where there's a lot of details from the Aug. 2008 seminar in Columbus, Ohio. Especially interesting is the Marino / Sue Benford* theory explaining why the 1988 carbon dating was not accurate. Their "invisible mend" theory was eventually backed by famous researchers Ray Rodgers and others at the Los Alamos National Laboratory.
The image on the Shroud was probably caused by atomic or subatomic particles causing a reaction with a chemical on the linen. No one is sure how this happened, but many believe that the release of energy during the resurrection caused the changes.
I am not convinced that Ron Wyatt's story is true.
I don't worship the Shroud, but studying it helped me to return to my Christian faith which had been badly damaged by studying science. If you or others want more info. from me, I give John permission to give you my email address. I could share a lot more info., because the Shroud is amazing. Books written by Anoviam Danin on the Shroud flora are of special interest to me. Also holographic and 3D studies by Dr. Petrus Soons.
Not everyone needs physical evidence to believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. In fact Jesus told Thomas that it was better to believe without it. But some of us, like Thomas, needed extra help. I believe that the Shroud provides such help for this doubtful, scientific generation.
Hope this helps, bc
*some of the names might not be spelled correctly