The unique patterns of lines and grooves in a person’s fingerprints have long been used for identification. But scientists now say they’ve developed a method to see what’s in your fingerprints, which could tell authorities not only who you are, but also what you’ve been doing.
Purdue University researchers used a technique called desorption electrospray ionization, or DESI, which involves spraying a solvent onto a fingerprinted surface and then analyzing the droplets that scatter off the print with a method called mass spectroscopy [Telegraph]. Spectroscopy has long been used in the lab to identify molecules by weight, but DESI can be used in the field. Study leader Graham Cooks says this method could identify trace elements of drugs like cocaine or marijuana, the leftovers from explosives like RDX, and potentially other chemicals.
