Fingerprint age determination by mass spectrometry
Fingerprint identification is a widely used forensic method for linking an individual to a crime scene. Investigators at a crime scene can find invisible (latent) fingerprints, which consist of natural skin oils, by "dusting" surfaces with carbon powders. Although the presence of fingerprints might implicate a suspect as having been present at a crime scene, the time at which those fingerprints were left could be an important additional piece of evidence for incriminating or exonerating a suspect. According to a report in the journal Analytical Chemistry (January 2020), researchers have demonstrated a technique for determining the age of fingerprints based on the degradation of triacylglycerols (triglycerides)—simple fats or oils consisting of three fatty acyl chains esterified to a glycerol backbone. See also: Fat and oil; Fingerprint identification; Forensic science; Triglyceride (triacylglycerol)