 |
|
Fingerprint analysis technique could be used to identify bombmakers
August 27, 2008University of Leicester-Northamptonshire Police research has military application
University of Leicester experts have held discussions with military personnel in Afghanistan following the discovery of new technology to identify fingerprints on metal.
Dr John Bond, a forensic research scientist at the University of Leicester and scientific support manager at Northamptonshire Police, has worked with a team from the University Department of Chemistry to develop the novel technique.
The state-of-the-art forensic method that can identify fingerprints on bullets could now be used on bombs. The new techniques can pick up fingerprints on metal even after they have been wiped off.
After the research was published earlier this year, Dr Bond has been approached by military personnel in Afghanistan to discuss potential use of the technique.
Dr Bond is investigating whether the technique can be used to find prints on roadside bombs. It would mean recovered fragments of bombs could be tested for prints put on it while it was manufactured.
Dr Bond said " We have developed a method that enables us to 'visualise fingerprints' even after the print itself has been removed. We conducted a study into the way fingerprints can corrode metal surfaces. The technique can enhance - after firing- a fingerprint that has been deposited on a small calibre metal cartridge case before it is fired.
"For the first time we can get prints from people who handled a cartridge before it was fired. Wiping it down, washing it in hot soapy water makes no difference - and the heat of the shot helps the process we use.
"The procedure works by applying an electric charge to a metal - say a gun or bullet - which has been coated in a fine conducting powder, similar to that used in photocopiers.
"Even if the fingerprint has been washed off, it leaves a slight corrosion on the metal and this attracts the powder when the charge is applied, so showing up a residual fingerprint.
"The technique works on everything from bullet casings to machine guns. Even if heat vaporises normal clues, police will be able to prove who handled a particular gun."
Dr Bond said they had found the method worked well on certain metals including brass which is often used for bullet casing.
University of Leicester
The state-of-the-art forensic method that can identify fingerprints on bullets could now be used on bombs. The new techniques can pick up fingerprints on metal even after they have been wiped off.
After the research was published earlier this year, Dr Bond has been approached by military personnel in Afghanistan to discuss potential use of the technique.
Dr Bond is investigating whether the technique can be used to find prints on roadside bombs. It would mean recovered fragments of bombs could be tested for prints put on it while it was manufactured.
Dr Bond said " We have developed a method that enables us to 'visualise fingerprints' even after the print itself has been removed. We conducted a study into the way fingerprints can corrode metal surfaces. The technique can enhance - after firing- a fingerprint that has been deposited on a small calibre metal cartridge case before it is fired.
"For the first time we can get prints from people who handled a cartridge before it was fired. Wiping it down, washing it in hot soapy water makes no difference - and the heat of the shot helps the process we use.
"The procedure works by applying an electric charge to a metal - say a gun or bullet - which has been coated in a fine conducting powder, similar to that used in photocopiers.
"Even if the fingerprint has been washed off, it leaves a slight corrosion on the metal and this attracts the powder when the charge is applied, so showing up a residual fingerprint.
"The technique works on everything from bullet casings to machine guns. Even if heat vaporises normal clues, police will be able to prove who handled a particular gun."
Dr Bond said they had found the method worked well on certain metals including brass which is often used for bullet casing.
University of Leicester
Fingerprints Current Events and Fingerprints News RSSEngineered killer T cell recognizes HIV-1's lethal molecular disguises
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and colleagues in the United Kingdom have engineered T cells able to recognize HIV-1 strains that have evaded the immune system.
Gold nanostar shape of the future
Rods, cones, cubes and spheres - move aside. Tiny gold stars, smaller than a billionth of a meter, may hold the promise for new approaches to medical diagnoses or testing for environmental contaminants.
DNA provides 'smoking gun' in the case of the missing songbirds
It sounds like a tale straight from "CSI": The bully invades a home and does away with the victim, then is ultimately found out with the help of DNA evidence.
'Fingerprinting' method tracks mercury emissions from coal
University of Michigan researchers have developed a new tool that uses natural "fingerprints" in coal to track down sources of mercury polluting the environment.
Fingerprint breakthrough hope in US double murder probe
A double murder investigation that has remained unsolved for almost a decade could be provided new impetus following a forensic breakthrough at the University of Leicester.
Infections linked to premature births more common than thought, Stanford study finds
Previously unrecognized and unidentified infections of amniotic fluid may be a significant cause of premature birth, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.
University of Pennsylvania Researchers Demonstrate a Flexible, One-Step Assembly of Nanoscale Structures
Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania have created a one-step, repeatable method for the production of functional nanoscale patterns or motifs with adjustable features, size and shape using a single master "plate."
Lavas from Hawaiian volcano contain fingerprint of planetary formation
Hikers visiting the Kilauea Iki crater in Hawaii today walk along a mostly flat surface of sparsely vegetated basalt. It looks like parking lot asphalt, but in November and December 1959, it emitted the orange glow of newly erupted lava.
Ancient mineral shows early Earth climate tough on continents
A new analysis of ancient minerals called zircons suggests that a harsh climate may have scoured and possibly even destroyed the surface of the Earth's earliest continents.
New fingerprint breakthrough by forensic scientists
Forensic scientists at the University of Leicester, working with Northamptonshire Police, have announced a major breakthrough in crime detection which could lead to hundreds of cold cases being reopened.
More Fingerprints Current Events and Fingerprints News Articles
 | Fingerprint: The Art of Using Hand-Made Elements in Graphic Design by Chen Design Associates A new approach to design is gaining momentum as more and more designers seek to combine the power of the computer with the personal qualities of handmade elements. "Fingerprint" offers insight into this fusion of the digital and the hand-wrought, with dozens of examples of some of the best work in the industry, including design that includes hand-lettering elements and design that incorporates... |
 | Fingerprints of the Gods by Graham Hancock The bestselling author of The Sign and the Seal reveals the true origins of civilization. Connecting puzzling clues scattered throughout the world, Hancock discovers compelling evidence of a technologically and culturally advanced civilization that was destroyed and obliterated from human memory. Four 8-page photo... |
 | Ed Emberley's Fingerprint Drawing Book ust add Ed Emberley's simple 'alphabet' to your thumbprints and fingerprints, and you can create funny thumbprint faces, animals, and bugs, as well as colorful fingerprint pictures including frogs, trains, and flowers. Easy and fun, these books provide hours of art-full... |
 | Forever Fingerprints: An Amazing Discovery for Adopted Children by Sherrie Eldridge For adopted children, learning about their beginnings and how they understand what that means to them is a process. It doesn t happen at one point in time, but rather throughout the experiences of life. In this heartwarming children s book, Forever Fingerprints uses a common occurrence a relative s pregnancy as a springboard for discussions on birthparents, where adopted children are before they... |
 | Fingerprints: Analysis and Understanding by Mark R. Hawthorne The unique composition of the skin on the inner hands and bottom of the feet affords not only a utilitarian benefit in providing friction but also provides a forensic marker for identifying individuals. Fingerprints: Analysis and Understanding is the most fundamental, up-to-date resource available on the techniques of obtaining and analyzing latent fingerprint evidence. Using an outline format... |
 | The Fingerprint of God: Recent Scientific Discoveries Reveal the Unmistakable Identity of the Creator (New Edition) by Hugh Ross Dr. Hugh Ross, astromomer, tells the fascinating story of how the latest research into origins not only has sealed the case for divine creation, but has revealed the identity of the Creator... |
 | Tender Fingerprints by Brad Stetson This is the powerfully insightful and emotionally compelling account of profound personal loss, the crisis of faith it caused, and the invigorated Christian commitment that... |
 | The Fingerprints of God: Tracking the Divine Suspect through a History of Images by Robert Farrar Capon Best-selling author Robert Farrar Capon uncovers God’s presence in the clues of history. How do we understand God? The Trinity? The basic tenets of the Christian faith? Much of the time we use images to think about them—and much of the time, unfortunately, they are the wrong images. In his newest work Robert Farrar Capon takes readers on a fascinating sleuthing project, developing a... |
| The Science of Fingerprints: Classification and Uses by FBI - Federal Bureau of Investigation | |
 | Draw Christmas Thumbprints: Festive Art at Your Fingerprints (Klutz) by Klutz Press This is a special seasonal version of the popular "Thumb Prints" titles. Magically turn thumb and fingerprints into Santa Claus, reindeer, snowmen and more. This book contains two ink pads in festive red and green, little black pen and 6 tear-out gift... |
| © 2008 BrightSurf.com |