Fingerprints provide clues to more than just identity

This image shows two fingerprint images and a chemical composition graph obtained from a single analysis using new technology developed at Purdue. The fingerprint in the center shows an image created from an analysis of the presence of cocaine molecules. The fingerprint on the left is a computer-generated image created from the cocaine analysis for use in identification software. The right figure shows the mass spectrum acquired in one pixel. Credit: Cooks Laboratory image/Demian Ifa