Could bad diets and drug use soon land more criminals in jail?

Could bad diets and drug use soon land more criminals in jail?

Burglars could soon be trapped by a bad diet or drugs they have taken thanks to a new fingerprinting technique.

The new test can reveal a person's cholesterol level, among other things. Sheffield Hallam University said it has found a way to analyse prints for traces of chemicals linked to diet and drug use.

Scientists say they can detect substances left behind by the skin on someone's finger, and can even work out when the fingerprint was created.

The technology can help gain much more information from a finger mark than is currently available, according to Simona Francese from the university's Biomedical Research Centre.

"We could link the suspect to criminal activity and potentially even gain details of their lifestyle by detecting the use of drugs, medication and even diet," she said.

The team behind the development used technology designed for mapping different molecules in tissue sections, known as matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation mass spectrometry imaging.

They found it can identify key details about the person who left a fingerprint, from substances they might have touched to drugs they have taken.

It can also give precise information about aspects of diet, including the person's cholesterol levels.

For forensic use, a fingerprint is usually lifted with a powder and compared with prints on a police database.

The team behind this new technique said it leaves fingerprints untouched, so they can still be tested in traditional ways.

For further information on Forensic Fingerprint Analysis please contact Forensic Resources Ltd.