Forensics

Edinburgh scientists develop software that could prove essential to homeland security

Researchers at Edinburgh University have pioneered software which instantly analyses the breakdown of complex chemical mixtures. A security officer with a handheld device known as a Raman spectrometer can point a laser at a suspicious package or substance, which then measures reflected light and beams it to a computer, giving a reading. The new software then translates this to give an accurate description of all the chemicals used. Previous software was only able to identify a single chemical at a time.