The discovery of fresh fingerprints at a crime scene is a promising step towards determining the culprit, though huge databases still need to be sifted through in order to find potential matches and the culprit’s prints need to be included in said databases. So what if many of the suspects could be ruled out before this rigorous search even begins? A new fingerprint identification technology is promising to lighten the load for investigators, by revealing whether prints belong to a male or female.
The new approach works on the premise that amino acid levels in the sweat of females are around twice as high as in males. Led by assistant chemistry professor Jan Halámek, a team of researchers from the University at Albany sought to use this biological difference to add another tool to investigators’ arsenals.
via Gizmag
Image: Paul Miller/University at Albany
