The dirt of your phone says a lot about your style of life – Milenio.com

skin Debris, oil or any dirt that have your mobile phone may reveal information about your lifestyle, and that information could even serve as evidence in criminal investigations, said Monday that u.s. researchers.

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The study counted with the participation of 39 volunteers that enabled the scientists to collect samples of their smartphones and of their right hands in different places, and determine their style of life.

The researchers discovered that a large amount of chemical information is on these devices. For example, creams, anti-inflammatory or antifungal, treatments for hair loss, antidepressants and eye drops, according to the study published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

were Also found in molecules of citrus, caffeine, herbs, and spices. In some cases, we detected traces of chemicals used months before by its users, such as sunscreens or repellents of a mosquito.

“we Can imagine a situation in which the researcher of a scene of crime is a personal object, such as a telephone, pen or key, without fingerprints or DNA that are in the database, ( … ), they would have nothing to determine to whom it belongs,” said the lead author Pieter Dorrestein, a professor in the faculty of pharmacy of the University of California at San Diego.

“by Analyzing the molecules that are in mobile phones, we were able to say that it was probably a woman, who uses high-end cosmetics, dyed hair, drink coffee, prefer beer to wine, likes spicy food, this is against the depression, puts on sunscreen and insect repellent so you’ll probably spend a lot of time on the outside,” said one of the authors of the study, Amina Bouslimani, University of California, San Diego.

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“This is the kind of information that could be helpful for a researcher to facilitate the search for the owner of an object”, he added.

The study was considered as a proof of concept, but needed more work, and finally, the molecules found in the devices serve to determine who their owner is, as you would a fingerprint. For now, the chemical information that is in the phones can only provide a general profile of the lifestyle of the user.

MRF