Australian researchers have developed a new way of recovering usable fingerprints from old evidence.

Australian researchers have developed a new way of recovering usable fingerprints from old evidence.

The scientists, at the University of Technology in Sydney, believe it is a world first, that could help police reopen unsolved cases. They used nanotechnology to detect dry and weak fingerprints, which are not revealed by traditional techniques. Nanotechnology reveals much sharper detail of amino acid traces from old fingerprints than existing methods. Their aim is to detect fingerprints of any age on any surface. Specimens that previously went unseen are now being revealed using new chemical treatments that target amino acids. These are molecules commonly found in sweat and are therefore present in most fingerprints. While the targeting of amino acids in this area has been used for decades, the researchers in Sydney are employing nanotechnology to give degraded samples sharper detail.
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