Did you forget what you had for lunch? Well, all you have to do is study your fingerprint. In a recent development, fingerprint photographs show the substances left on fingertips. This technology lets the experts find everything from caffeine traces to substances of explosive materials left on the finger.
In a recently published paper in the journal of Analytic Chemistry, Sergei Kazarian, Camilla Ricci, and Steve Bleay wrote about this particular technique that the trio developed. The method is called infrared spectroscopy. Basically, it takes photographs of left over particles on your finger(S). I think this will come in handy for researchers as well as authorities of the law.
Kazarian method:
While using the infrared technology, a physical chemist from the Imperial college of London, Kazarian improvised gelatin tapes. This kind of tape is mostly used by crime labs and is popular for gathering evidence. Kazarian uses a military technology to differentiate the content of the fingerprints to a varied depth.
Also, Kazarian’s method is mostly geared towards more accurate fingerprint identifications. This method will further eliminate the contamination process.However, Kazarian’s methods will not be completed anytime soon.
Russell method:
Yet another team of British researchers led by David Russell of the University of East Anglia, found a way to separate the chemicals found in sweat. Once a drug enters the body, traces are left in the human sweat.
These researchers are currently concentrating on making the technology readily available for law enforcement use. I think this kind of research will further enhance the security systems as well as legal proceedings around the globe.
Image Credits: Rsc
