For this blog post I have produced a podcast using NotebookLM to discuss one of my research projects that was published last year. The paper entitled “Can later fingerprint disclose the sex of the donor? A preliminary test study using GC-MS analysis of latent fingerprint” is discussed her. For background on this study, I explored with my two co-authors, if gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) can help identify the sex of someone who left a fingerprint. We analysed fingerprints from 22 men and 22 women, finding that two chemicals—octadecanol and eicosanol—were significantly different between males and females. We were quite amazed by the results! Although a detailed analysis didn’t show strong overall differences, these two compounds stood out as possible indicators of sex. Our study showed some really promising results although it also highlighted the need for more research to develop a reliable method, especially since contaminants and fingerprint wear can affect the results. This research adds to forensic science by looking for new ways to identify people when traditional fingerprint methods don’t work.