New Fingerprint Technology Could Help Unsolved Crimes

A forensic team in the UK is using a new mass spectrometry technology that could help solve unsolved crimes, according to a news report. 

The machine, developed by the University of Nottingham, fires ions at an object to create a "map" of the substance it finds, such as sweat. It produces constant and reliable results and does not damage existing evidence, as current methods of making a copy of fingerprints are not good enough and DNA swabbing can damage evidence. 

The machine detects fragments of the substances from fingerprints and it is able to form a pattern on a computer that interprets the findings as a recognizable print, which can help cases where fingerprints are difficult to retrieve. Scientists say that it can make copies without damage occurring.