Background Information

 This week I thought I would share some portions of the progress I made with the background information regarding fingerprints. So I hope you enjoy it! 

The importance of latent print detection is known all around the world and because of this, there have been many experiments and research done on their longevity. Fingerprints have been used to identify a person for many years. As early as 300 B.C. in China, 702 A.D. in Japan, and 1902 in the United States (Barnes, 2022). One study done by the Drug Enforcement Administration in Dallas Texas showed that a latent print exposed under temperatures of zero degrees Fahrenheit did not appear to fade over a duration of time. On the other hand, the latent prints that were exposed to temperatures around room temperature and “fridge” temperature appeared to show deterioration of the minutiae over time. In this experiment, they also used superglue fuming or cyanoacrylate to expose the minutiae for analysis (Moody, 1994). Their findings in this research align with my hypothesis. 

Also, I was able to make it into the lab and begin setting up my latent print exposures. Over Spring break I will work on my latent print slides and prepare them for the following week. I look forward to finally beginning my experiments. 

https://ejfs.springeropen.com/track/pdf/10.1186/s41935-019-0147-1.pdf