We've all seen detectives on
crime shows pick up a champagne glass to examine the lipstick prints. We've
also seen how that exact print, color, and brand was matched perfectly to
either a victim or a suspect and within the hour the crime is solved. We all
know how bogus that really all is. First of all, there is no way the crime was
solved in an hour. Secondly, can they really match someone’s lipstick of all
things? Isolating the DNA from any saliva mixed in the print, sure, but the
brand? Maybe.
Scientists from the University
of Kent are now able to identify the brand of lipstick from crime scene lip
prints. Not only can they do this, but they don’t even have to take the
champagne glass (or water bottle, soda can, etc for all the non-fancy murderers)
out of the evidence bag! Okay, okay, so crime scene techs have likely lifted
the lip print in the past contrary to what TV shows depict, but now Raman
spectroscopy is used to analyze the lipstick marks on a variety of pieces of
evidence. Tissues, glasses, and even cigarette butts can be run under a
specific type of laser light for analysis. This keeps evidence intact, allowing
for it to be further processed if necessary.
Prior to this advancement,
scientists were forced to destroy evidence to analyze lipstick evidence. If
that were not the preferred choice, the analysis had to be left to matter of
opinions. I don’t know about you ladies, but sometimes Peachy-Pink Kiss can
look a lot like Sunburst Coral to me. I wouldn't want someone to practically
guess that the lipsticks match. Now that scientists have found that this
technology can match brands of lipsticks, they’re working to apply this to
other cosmetics as well.
If you’re
interested in learning more about the Raman spectroscopy, you can read about
the article I found here.
I love your story line. I think the advancement is great. Being that I am a Forensics Masters student, I think this is a great attribute to add to the capabilities of the crime lab. I might have to read the article myself though, I'm so curious as to how they can identify the brand with a laser and not by chemical analysis! I mean, wouldn't it seem logical that they would compare the chemical break down.
ReplyDeleteI feel that it would be more logical to chemically analyze the lipstick as well, but I think the main idea is to keep the evidence intact and to not destroy the objects the lipstick is on for whatever reason. As a forensics student, I'm sure you also know how delicate evidence can be when submitted to different testing methods. They may want the prints in place to make a match to someone, or maybe just for courtroom effect. Who knows?
DeleteOkay, so from what I can ascertain, this method, raman spectroscopy, is similar to IR spectroscopy except maybe it is easier to use (no extensive sample preparation as in IR), but it is more expensive. If this can be used to process evidence more efficiently then it might be worth it. On the other hand, I wonder about the applications beyond cosmetics. How important, in general, is cosmetic identification usually in criminal investigations?
ReplyDeleteI don't really know how important cosmetic identification is in investigations, either, but maybe this is just a stepping stone into bigger things. Since we know this is how science often works, I'd say it's safe to assume that this could open up the opportunity for more advances later on down the line.
DeleteThis was an very interesting find! As a master's student in the forensic science program we've talked about how the tv shows portray over exaggerations of what actually occurs in a crime lab. This article makes me think that maybe some of the ideas that really have only been used on tv are now being developed for real crime labs. As Lori commented, how important is cosmetic identification in an investigation, but television shows have shown time and time again that it can be use so maybe it's made scientists think that maybe this technology could be used, and have worked on developing it.
ReplyDeleteI agree. Maybe the pressures and expectations from society have led to the development of such technology.
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