Fingerprinting is not only vital in forensic work, but also a key part of many official identification systems. Every visitor to the US, for example, has his or her fingerprints recorded. But smudges and distortions tend to warp prints, making it difficult for the authorities to match them up against a computer database of templates.

Warwick University researchers have devised a new way to “unwarp” prints, to create clear digital representations that can then be mapped on to an “image space” of all fingerprints held on a database. The scientists say the “unwarping” is so effective that, for the first time, it is possible to compare the positions of individual sweat pores on fingerprints. The pores on a finger are so densely packed that distortions have previously prevented analysts using them to distinguish prints.