Private eye in the lab

Researchers who focus on the analysis of crime scenes gathered at Pittcon last month to share some of their latest findings at a symposium devoted to analytical developments in forensic investigations. Methods are being developed based on gas chromatography-mass spectrometry for determining the chemical composition of fingerprint residues. A key goal of the work is to identify components of the residue that correlate with age, gender, and other personal information that may be useful in determining who left the prints.