Cracking the children's fingerprint disappearing act
Thursday, February 10, 2011 - 12:01
in Physics & Chemistry
(PhysOrg.com) -- Children's fingerprints disappear faster than those of adults -- a little-known fact that can hamper investigations of kidnapping cases. To investigate this phenomenon, a team of researchers used beams of infrared light at Brookhaven's National Synchrotron Light Source (NSLS) as a powerful detective's microscope, finding that fingerprint staying power is based on the amount and types of oil in your skin.