How Skin Germs Can Help Solve Crimes

Skin is more than just what we see. It's home to tiny creatures called microbes. These microbes can tell a story. Scientists wanted to see if these microbes stay the same over time. They also wanted to see if they could match a person to their microbes. Fifteen young adults helped with this study. Scientists took samples from their palms and cheeks. They did this at different times, up to 72 hours. They wanted to see if the microbes changed when exposed to the environment. The scientists used special tools to study the microbes. They found that the main types of microbes stayed the same. Even when exposed to the environment, they didn't change much. This means that the microbes on our skin are quite stable.The scientists also used a computer program to see if they could tell who the microbes belonged to. They could tell which part of the body the microbes came from 91. 33% of the time. They could also tell which person the microbes belonged to 97. 33% of the time. This is a big deal. It means that microbes on our skin can be used as evidence in crimes. But, there's a catch. The scientists only studied young adults. They also only looked at short-term changes. More research is needed to see if this works for everyone and over longer times. This study shows that our skin microbes are unique. They can stay the same over time. This makes them useful for solving crimes. But, we need more research to make sure this works in all cases.