Taking a fingerprints now reveals a criminal's sex and even how much coffee they've drunk: Revolutionary nanopowder captures trace chemicals sitting on skin



The powder was developed by Arro SupraNano at Newcastle University

It sticks more closely to nano particles in the ridges of a fingerprint



This improves the clarity of the prints by up to 40 per cent

It reveals the sex of the person, what medication they’re on, if they’ve fired a gun recently, what they’ve eaten, and how much coffee they’ve drunk

Samples can be analysed in minutes within reaching the lab

A revolutionary powder claims to be able to discover what a person has eaten, what medication they’re on and even their sex, all from a single fingerprint.



Developed by researchers at Newcastle University, the powder contains nanoparticles that stick to the ridges of prints more effectively than current powders.



This improves the clarity of the prints by up to 40 per cent, and can pick up chemical and trace elements that reveal details about the criminal's behaviour.



A revolutionary powder (pictured) claims to be able to discover what a person has eaten, what medication they're on and even their sex, all from a single fingerprint. The SupraNano powder contains nano particles that stick to the ridges of prints more effectively than current powders

And the results can be obtained within minutes of the sample reaching the Arro SupraNano lab at the northeast university, or when ran through an analytics test kit.



FINGERPRINTS AND MALDI-MSI The Arro SupraNano powder produces similar results to technology recently developed by researchers from Sheffield. Their microscopic technology is called Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionisation Mass Spectrometry Imaging (MALDI-MSI) and it traces drugs, hair and cleaning products in fingerprints.

It has been developed by researchers at Sheffield Hallam University’s Biomedical Research Centre (BMRC). The technology uses MALDI-MSI to produce multiple images of fingermarks.

This can reveal tiny changes in shape, and reveal particles and other elements hidden within the ridges.

These details can be important background information in a criminal investigation, especially if the suspect's fingerprint is not on the police database and a positive ID cannot be made.

‘A murder case can cost between £1m and £3m, with most of that in time and legwork,’ said Arro SupraNano's managing director Eamonn Cooney.

‘But with this test you can say male or female, whether they are on medication, what their lifestyle is, are they taking or distributing drugs, or if they are a terrorists.



‘If you took 100 suspects and had each of them take the test then you could narrow it down to two or three very quickly.'

A fingermark is made up of material from the surface of the skin, and from gland secretions.

Conventionally, fingermarks found at the scene of a crime are lifted using a powder and compared with prints on a police database to identify a suspect.

The technology behind the new powder and test was first developed by Professor Frederick Rowell at Sunderland University in 2005.

It picks up traces of drugs, explosives and gun residue within the fingerprints ridges.



Additionally, when people ingest a medicine or drugs, they are metabolised and pass out through the pores of the skin as nanoparticles.

It launched in January and is now being sold around the world, with the patented analytic test set to go to market in the coming months.



These nano particles improve the clarity of the prints by up to 40 per cent, and can pick up chemical and trace elements that reveal details about the criminal left on fingerprints (pictured). The results can be obtained within minutes using an analytics test kit

The powder picks up traces of drugs, explosives and gun residue within the fingerprint ridges (pictured). Additionally, when people ingest a medicine or drugs, they are metabolised and pass out through the pores of the skin as nano particles

The company recently received the Forensics and Expert Witness E Magazine's annual product development award.

‘Fingerprinting has not changed much in many years,’ continued Mr Cooney.



‘You go to a crime scene, brush with powder, lift the print with tape, take a photo and record it on a national database. But we've done two new things with nano particles.

‘Our powder adheres much more closely to the ridges and troughs of a fingerprint, as the particles are chemically very sticky.

‘[This] is really important as for comparison you're looking for 12 to 20 points, and prints are often smudged.



The Arro SupraNano powder produces similar results to technology recently developed by researchers from Sheffield. Their microscopic technology is called Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption Ionisation Mass Spectrometry Imaging (MALDI-MSI) (pictured) and it traces drugs, hair and cleaning products in fingerprints

‘You can now see the details much more clearly and there is less background staining.’

Law enforcement groups have praised the powder and said it could be used for serious crimes, such as murders, sexual assaults, and arson.



‘Even if you drink a cup of coffee we can detect the caffeine. Or if you smoke,’ added Mr Cooney.



The powder also has potential benefits outside of crime investigations, in medicine for example.



‘Because of what you can find on the surface of the skin, this could be used medically - you might even be able to tell how a drug will perform before a person even takes it,’ concluded Mr Cooney.

‘It's amazing what you can find through fingerprints.’





