fingerprint news stories on Newser

Fingerprint Surgery Fools Japanese Immigration

Rob Quinn — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 05:39:00 CST

An illegal immigrant slipped past Japan's biometric security system by having surgery to swap her fingerprints, according to Japanese authorities. The Chinese woman, deported after overstaying her visa last year, had skin patches on thumbs and index fingers removed and regrafted onto the opposite hands, the BBC reports.

Da Vinci Fingerprint IDs Lost Painting

Rob Quinn — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 05:55:56 CDT

A painting bought for $19,000 by a Canadian dealer two years ago has been valued at $150 million after it was determined to be a work by Leonardo Da Vinci. Carbon dating and infrared techniques convinced experts that the portrait on vellum was a genuine Da Vinci. The final...

Man Without Prints Stumps Airport Security

Ambreen Ali — Wed, 27 May 2009 16:42:02 CDT

The side effects of a drug to treat cancer led to a Singapore man being detained for hours by airport security officials who couldn’t find his fingerprints, USA Today reports. The drug capecitabine causes hand-foot syndrome, in which the skin peels off; the man was finally allowed through after being...

Markoff Linked to Third Craigslist Assault

Jess Kilby — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 07:24:00 CDT

Philip Markoff has been linked to a third assault on a woman advertising sexual services on Craigslist, the Boston Globe reports. Police say the accused killer left fingerprints at a Rhode Island hotel where he tried to rob a prostitute last week and sent identifiable text messages immediately after the...

Tech Helps Prints Tell More of the Story

Harry Kimball — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 15:24:55 CDT

Advances in fingerprint technology are making the century-old forensic tool even more vital, the Boston Globe reports. Scientists have developed methods that can not only detect traces of food or chemicals in prints, but also single out targets at a confused crime scene. “We're using fingerprints to learn more about...

Fingerprint Test Can Now ID What Person Has Touched

Rob Quinn — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 02:35:44 CDT

Cutting-edge technology now means fingerprints can reveal much more than just a person's identity, the New York Times reports. A spray developed by US researchers can analyze tiny molecular compounds left behind by the print and tell what materials a person has recently handled—including drugs or explosives. It can...

Visitor Fingerprinting Expanded

Nick McMaster — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 20:28:52 CDT

Visitors to the US entering through New York's John F. Kennedy airport will have all 10 fingers scanned under a new program of the Department of Homeland Security, the Christian Science Monitor reports. Officials hope the program, called US-VISIT, will allow customs—which currently collects just two prints from non-citizen...