New method reveals fingerprints on metal, plastic and glass.
Credit: CSIRO The new method can reveal fingerprints on metal, plastic and glass. By adding a drop of liquid containing crystals to surfaces, investigators using a UV light are able to see invisible finger- prints "glow" in about 30 seconds. Recent advances in identifying suspects is truly amazing. There is, for example, a new method for dating the age of a fingerprint allowing investigators to focus on current evidence rather than having to check out prints left prior to a crime. There is a new method of scanning fingerprints that shows not only the surface whorls and loops of a fingerprint, it shows underlying structures of the skin as well. There is now a method for taking fingerprints off ATM receipts and other paper documents. And in some countries, babies are being fingerprinted at birth to build a database to be used to track medical care, but, has the potential to be used to identify people later in...