Micro X-ray fluorescence imaging can "see" invisible fingerprints

Los Alamos National Laboratory scientists, C. Worley, S. S. Wiltshire, T. C. Miller, G. J. Havrilla and V. Majidi, have developed a novel method for detecting fingerprints on surfaces that typically render such prints invisible. The technique uses micro-X-ray fluorescence (MXRF) and can therefore determine the elements in a fingerprint and obtain a pattern at the same time. Salts such as sodium chloride and potassium chloride that are excreted in sweat are sometimes present in detectable quantities in human fingerprints. As the new method might also be able to tell if the person that left the fingerprints also handled something like bomb-making materials, it could potentially be used as a tool in forensic investigation. For more information, contact Todd Hanson, Phone +1-505-65-2085, tahanson@lanl.gov, http://www.lanl.gov/.