Body fluid contains information about our health and even our vices. A single drop can be enough to identify a criminal or diagnose a disease.
In sweat, which can be contained in tiny doses in a fingerprint, is encapsulated all the information regarding not only our bodies, but also our vices. Forensic scientist Simona Francese of Sheffield Hallam University, for example, uses this very substance to develop techniques to extract information that can help identify people at a crime scene. Our sweat glands hold a lot of our secrets. From the analysis of a single drop, it is possible to detect the presence of caffeine or alcohol to drugs, but it is also possible to diagnose a disease.
The secrets contained in the sweat
A nurse who loves spicy tomato fries has even managed to make her sweat “blush”. Scientists, studying droplets of her bodily fluid, have in fact matched the red pigment in her sweat to the aroma of the chips. Researchers are also looking for ways to distinguish vegans from meat eaters or what a person’s gender or age is by analyzing a few traces from the fluid we secrete. Sweat also contains information about diseases and may be useful in diagnosing certain types of cancer, as well as other chemicals related to our personal lives, such as stress hormones.
The substance produced by sweat glands could soon be used to create tools that allow us to monitor our inner workings. A team of engineers, for example, is designing adhesive patches that are integrated with electronics to capture and analyze sweat, extracting information that could then be sent to smartphones. Such technology could also be integrated into a smartwatch that analyzes sweat to monitor the level of alcohol in the body and send an alert. Even cars could eventually have a fingerprint pad installed that would require drivers to assess levels of intoxication before the engine could start.
It will likely be a long time before advanced technologies based on sweat analysis are implemented, meanwhile studies on the importance of this substance also continue by taking different directions. In Singapore, for example, researchers at the National University have discovered how to convert human sweat into energy that can be used to power small electronic devices, thanks to an innovative film.
Stefania Bernardini