Recently, new research has been done on new methods of techniques of recovering fingerprints from different surfaces, the most challenging being from fabrics such as clothing recovered from a crime scene. Now it is the first time in about 30 years that recovering fingerprints from fabrics has become a major focus in research. As part of the research project, VMD, a technique known as vacuum metal deposition, uses gold and zinc to recover the fingerprint mark that is supposedly on the fabric. VMD is a highly sensitive method to easily detect fingerprints is already used on materials such as plastics and glass. When supposed fingerprints on fabrics are dusted with a combination of gold and zinc, the fabric is laced in a vacuum chamber, where the gold is heated up which results it to evaporate and spread a fine film over the fabric. Then when the zinc is heated up, it attached to the gold where there are no fingerprint residues. This helps reveal the fingerprint, where contact has been made you see the original fabric, and where there is no contact we're left with the gray color of the metal film. One way of explaining it is like a photographic negative, where colors show up as their opposites. Here the fingerprint ridges show through as clear fabric, but where there are no ridges we see the distinctive grey colour of the metal.
The University of Abertay Dundee and forensic experts are currently studying its use in the examination of clothing and see if this evidence could act as a "silent witness" and bring value to an investigation. As research continues, recovering fingerprints have been successful on a number of other fabrics besides cotton, such as silk, nylon, and polyester. In the past, it was proved difficult to distinguish a clear fingerprint on fabric, but it is shown that it is now possible. Further research on this method will further improve the method itself and prove its effectiveness.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110131073141.htm
3 comments:
I think that Kyrie did a very good job on presenting this current events articles. After taking Forensics for some time now, we have learned that getting fingerprints off cloth is very difficult, yet the way Kyrie explains the method of finding the figerprints on cloth is very easy for me as the reader to understand. Although she manages to explain this article in a simple coherent way, that does not mean she lacked in providing detail about how this process is executed. Kyrie did a very good job of going into a lot of detail on this new discovery without making it confusing.
Two things I think Kyrie could work on would be to tell us whether this method is now being used in real life cases, or whether it is still being tested.
One thing that I enjoyed learning about in this lab was the fact that gold is used in this method. Normally gold is thought of as useless other than having a high value, yet here we see it being used in forensic science.
I think that Kyrie wrote a well - written review on this article. The overall topic of this article being how fingerprints can be found on different surfaces to be very interesting. Kyrie made it easy to understand what the meaning of the article was. Anyone could be able to read this article. She used a lot of detail about the fingerprints.
I thought that Kyrie's review could have been better if she mentioned if this new technology was being used now a days or if it is still being researched.
I liked when Kyrie gave the example of how zinc is very helpful in this process. I also liked how college students could act as "silent witnesses" in order to bring value into the investigation.
I think that Kyrie wrote a well - written review on this article. The overall topic of this article being how fingerprints can be found on different surfaces to be very interesting. Kyrie made it easy to understand what the meaning of the article was. Anyone could be able to read this article. She used a lot of detail about the fingerprints.
I thought that Kyrie's review could have been better if she mentioned if this new technology was being used now a days or if it is still being researched.
I liked when Kyrie gave the example of how zinc is very helpful in this process. I also liked how college students could act as "silent witnesses" in order to bring value into the investigation.
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