Bacteria may trace criminals in future
Source: Agencies |
March 17, 2010, Wednesday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
COLONIES of bacteria that live on people's hands are highly personal to each individual, meaning that forensic experts could one day use bacteria to prove who had touched an object, researchers report in yesterday's edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
"Each one of us leaves a unique trail of bugs behind as we travel through our daily lives. While this project is still in its preliminary stages, we think the technique could eventually become a valuable new item in the toolbox of forensic scientists," said lead author Noah Fierer of the University of Colorado.
In one test the researchers swabbed computer mice that had not been used in 12 hours and compared the bacteria with those collected from the hands of the computer owner and 270 other randomly chosen people. The closest match was to the computer owner.
Overall, the researchers said, their technique was between 70 percent and 90 percent accurate. Researchers said that's expected to improve as the technique becomes more sophisticated.
This analysis is something that scientists could not have done even two years ago, noted Fierer, an assistant professor in Colorado's ecology and evolutionary biology department.
In addition to smudged fingerprints, the technique may also be useful in determining who has touched things like fabrics and textured materials, the researchers said.
The average human hand contains about 150 species of bacteria with only about 13 percent shared by any two people, Fierer's team found.
The new research was partly funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.
"Each one of us leaves a unique trail of bugs behind as we travel through our daily lives. While this project is still in its preliminary stages, we think the technique could eventually become a valuable new item in the toolbox of forensic scientists," said lead author Noah Fierer of the University of Colorado.
In one test the researchers swabbed computer mice that had not been used in 12 hours and compared the bacteria with those collected from the hands of the computer owner and 270 other randomly chosen people. The closest match was to the computer owner.
Overall, the researchers said, their technique was between 70 percent and 90 percent accurate. Researchers said that's expected to improve as the technique becomes more sophisticated.
This analysis is something that scientists could not have done even two years ago, noted Fierer, an assistant professor in Colorado's ecology and evolutionary biology department.
In addition to smudged fingerprints, the technique may also be useful in determining who has touched things like fabrics and textured materials, the researchers said.
The average human hand contains about 150 species of bacteria with only about 13 percent shared by any two people, Fierer's team found.
The new research was partly funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.
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