Bacteria left on crime scene may help find criminal
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A new study published online Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests in the future identification of hand-harbored bacteria left on a crime scene can help find the criminal.
Noah Fierer at the University of Colorado at Boulder and colleagues conducted a study of the hands of 270 people and found that on average, about 100 different species of bacteria harbored on a hand.
The researchers discovered that the bacterial colonies on computer mice closely matched those of their owners' hands. And the accuracy was about 70 to 90 percent.
The accuracy was not great enough at this time for the bacterial identification technique to be used as a forensic tool to help find a criminal. But Fierer was cited as saying that it can be improved with some more sophisticated technology in the future.
Besides, many issues need to be solved including cross contamination from bacteria in the background or other individuals who touch or use the same object of concern.
Right now, fingerprints are hard evidence used for the searching of the criminal. But fingerprints are not always available and smart criminals can wear gloves to avoid leaving their finger prints on the crime scene.
The study once against reminds us food consumers that it is a good idea to wash our hands before we eat meals or snacks just in case that there are some pathogenic bacteria (and toxic chemicals like flame retardant from a computer keyboard and mice) on our hands.
By Jimmy Downs
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