How to tell the sex of a criminal from a fingerprint

26-Sep-2012 - United Kingdom

Scientists in the UK claim to be able to determine the sex of a person from their fingerprints, by profiling peptides and small proteins in latent fingerprints.

The team have used matrix-assisted laser desorption ionisation mass spectrometry and multivariate modelling to detect peptides and proteins from fingerprints. They found that they were able to determine sex with 85% accuracy. A set of 199 spectral variables was used to build the model, and then tested on 40 samples (20 male, 20 female).

The method takes 20 minutes and has the potential to be applied to study other features of fingerprint composition, for example drug use and nutritional habits.

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Mass spectrometry enables us to detect and identify molecules and reveal their structure. Whether in chemistry, biochemistry or forensics - mass spectrometry opens up unexpected insights into the composition of our world. Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of mass spectrometry!

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Topic World Mass Spectrometry

Topic World Mass Spectrometry

Mass spectrometry enables us to detect and identify molecules and reveal their structure. Whether in chemistry, biochemistry or forensics - mass spectrometry opens up unexpected insights into the composition of our world. Immerse yourself in the fascinating world of mass spectrometry!

15+ products
2 whitepaper
15+ brochures