Researchers catch a whiff of "aroma fingerprints"
While we've already seen just how savvy dogs are at scouting out cellphones, researchers around the globe have teamed up to find out how pups distinguish the aromas that each individual emits, and the result is a highly influential electronic nose. Now if the boys in blue can't track you down via fingerprint, EEG signatures, or just looking at those guilt-filled eyes, it looks like your "aroma fingerprint" just might find you out anyway. The team has uncovered that each human has at least 44 chemical compounds in their odors that can be distinguished, and aside from assisting in identification, can be used in forensic studies to determine true causes behind crimes, deaths, or other misdemeanors. It's even stated that this new technique can assist officials in learning about one's "gender, lifestyle, whether or not they smoke, recent meals, and stress levels." Of course, criminals could be shaking in their boots, but until the scientists find a way to sniff through "deodorant and perfume," we can't exactly count on this being reliable.[Via Spluch]
Filed under: Misc. Gadgets
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Matt @ Jan 24th 2007 5:49PM
that looks like my dog
Reality Check @ Jan 24th 2007 6:25PM
Women detect aggression, sex drive, and testerone levels through smells. This is one of the reasons women use to reject "nice guys"...they haven't got the right smell.
StevO @ Jan 24th 2007 6:29PM
But can they smell fear?
Jeff O'Hara @ Jan 24th 2007 8:00PM
That looks like my dog too :)
-Jeff
http://blog.zemote.com
TSD @ Jan 24th 2007 9:08PM
If dogs can smell like that I wonder what it's like for my dog when I cut a huge one while watching football on Sun eating nachos!
Ha funny to me at least!
Tracy in Cary @ Jan 25th 2007 11:04AM
So this complex, expensive, and hyyper-sensitive odor-detector will be able to tell us "whether or not they smoke"? Sign me up! I've been having SO MUCH TROUBLE picking out the smokers. I've just been using the highly innaccurate system of picking out the people who:
1) smell like smoke
2) hang around outside the building smoking