Hair Could Help Police To Check Alibis

Ant writes "This story mentions forensic scientists have developed a technique which should allow police and immigration officials to find out where a person has been living for the last few months or years - by analysing residues in their hair."

But...

[ravenspear]

I'm bald you insensitive clod!

Re:But...

[onya]

you must be a terrorist. turn yourself in immediately.

Re:But...

[echeslack]

I know it was a joke, but most people have hair elsewhere.

Re:But...

[satanami69]

I still have a few left, and I'll be damned if I'm giving it to them.

Re:But...

[Tablizer]

I'm bald you insensitive clod!

Then you must have lived near Mount Baldy [mtbaldyskipatrol.com]. See, it still works.

You know you order too many books online when...

[Txiasaeia]

...the subject for this story reads "Hair Could Help Police To Check Alibris," and then wonder if they could really trace your book purchases with DNA from your hair...

FP!

[I(rispee_I(reme]

Follicle PROOF!
oh damn, i fail preposterously.

Re:FP!

[preposterity]

I'll be the judge of that

one day soon?

[rhettoric]

One potential problem is that samples taken from people with short hair will only give a limited history of very recent movements - leading to the suggestion that criminals or asylum seekers may shave their heads to destroy information on their past whereabouts.

Does that mean we aren't too far away from "You have the right to shave?"

Work place?

[eingram]

When I worked at a local burger joint many years ago, people could tell just by looking at my hair where I had been for the past few hours. :) My hair was all greasy and clumped together, and probably had the occasional french fry or onion ring sticking out of it.

Yeah. They got shut down.

Going Bald

[tiny69]

One potential problem is that samples taken from people with short hair will only give a limited history of very recent movements - leading to the suggestion that criminals or asylum seekers may shave their heads to destroy information on their past whereabouts.

That's it, I'm going to shave my head and be bald from now on.

Hehehe

[Julian Morrison]

You're not just going to have to shave.

You're going to have to wax.

Head hair's not the only hair.

Re:Hehehe

[blengino]

yes and theycan say that I have been in my underwear for the past week ;)

Re:Going Bald

[the_brat_king]

Jokes aside, what of those of us who keep short cropped hair? If we become "suspected" or "of interest" does our lack of long golden locks implicate us further? I've worn my hair at between 1/4 inch and 3/4 inch for the past 7 years, give or take a couple periods of laziness. I understand that "other" hair can be used, but hair recycles itself, so there's not a lot of that other hair that's been around for years (in the extreme cases), or even a lot of months.

Only outlaws...

[OldManAndTheC++]

Will this inspire a law requiring you to register when you get a hair transplant?

If doll-hair is outlawed, only outlaws will have doll-hair. Umm ... and dolls.

Re:Only outlaws...

[Anonymous Coward]

They're called action figures. NOT DOLLS!

It's Elementary, My Dear Watson

[Radical Rad]

If they find Juji Fruit matted into your armpit hair... ...they can tell you've been living in a 24 hour movie house watching the Bourne Conspiracy over and over, sleeping on the floor, and eating whatever the patrons spill between the seats.

But will it work on geeks?

[Alsee]

Most geeks don't drink it unless it's carbonated+caffinated and don't eat it unless it's sealed in plastic. They generally ain't too big on tap-water exposure either.

-

Is Elvis still alive?

[Gary Destruction]

Now we'll finally know the truth! Get hair from places he's been sighted.

Before you cue balls start pillaging

[WateryGrave]

I nearly worked for a Company that did hair follicle testing for illegal drug use. One of the first questions that came up from our group was: "what about bald people?" The presenter smiled and said that while some people may not have hair on their head, almost everyone has hair somewhere. Chew on that one for a while.

Poor Homer

[kannibal_klown]

With all of the trouble he gets into, it's only a matter of time until his last 3 hairs are plucked.

Can it be jammed?

[Thomas Shaddack]

How long it will take until "isotope ratio kits" appear on the market?

Look up the ratio of various isotopes in your region. Make an estimation of the volume of local water you ingest. Add measured amount of isotope mixture to every your morning coffee, shifting the average ratio to the value of the region you want to appear to be from.

What will be the next round of this game?

We can look forward to interesting new technological games once cheap mass-produced mass spectrometers appear on the market.

News Flash

[BigGar']

Nair has just been declared a theif's tool and thus illeagal to possess, as has wax, razors and scissors. Cry's from models & body builders for some way to remove unwanted hair were met with "Why, what don't you want us to know?"