Go dust yourself off; you might be carrying some SENSITIVE information!
This is Sandra Tsing Loh with the Loh Down on Science.
AACHOO! Phew… dust really triggers our allergies. But what if dust from your phone could tell people where you’ve been??
Ask Dr. Jennifer Young from Flinders University and their colleagues in Australia.
They collected soil samples from four different locations. The soil samples were blown over a phone case, fabric, and faux leather to create dust. Using X-ray and genetic analysis, researchers were able to identify elements and DNA from fungi and bacteria!
And? The dust could be matched to the soil it came from for all four locations! As little as ONE PERCENT of one gram of dust could reveal your daily travels. Since dust is everywhere, researchers hope it can be used in forensics in the future!
So give your phone an extra cleaning this evening – you don’t want to be caught riding dirty! Or at least put it in airplane mode.
Reference: Foster, N. R., Martin, B., Hoogewerff, J., Aberle, M. G., de Caritat, P., Roffey, P., Edwards, R., Malik, A., Thwaites, P., Waycott, M., & Young, J. (2023). The utility of dust for forensic intelligence: Exploring collection methods and detection limits for environmental DNA, elemental and mineralogical analyses of dust samples. Forensic Science International, 344, 111599. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2023.111599