​Forensics researchers alight at music festival Lowlands

Does someone who commits murder with a pillow leave different fingerprints than someone who is changing pillow cases? And to what extent does the chemical composition of fingerprints vary between people? These are the two most important research questions of a team of forensic scientists from the Netherlands Forensics Institute, TU Delft, the University of Amsterdam and the Dutch Police Academy. The scientists will be working together in a stand amidst music podia called crime lab, which is part of Lowlands Science.

The guinea pigs will get a special UV dye on their fingertips and will first be asked to put a pillow in a pillow case. Afterward, they will be handed another pillow with which they will have to ‘suffocate’ a doll. The scientist will measure the force they exert. In both instances, the fingerprints can be easily observed with a UV lamp. With imaging software, the locations of the fingerprints will be analysed, and it will be assessed whether the ‘suffocation fingerprints’ vary significantly from the prints left during the simple household chore.

When someone leaves a fingerprint at a crime scene, that person leaves more than just an impression of the friction ridges of the top of the finger. In the marking, a chemical signature is hidden which, if unravelled, could help solve the crime. It consists of a myriad of molecules that belong to the potential perpetrator, ranging from DNA, proteins, and fats to amino acids.

The scientists will also try to shed more light on these chemical fingerprints. They want to know more specifically if they can predict the age, sex and certain habits of potential perpetrators by studying the chemical fingerprints. The participants will have to sweep a finger on a piece of foil, and they will have to fill in a form with questions about lifestyle and eating habits. All data is anonymised.