Are you depressed? What kind of skin creams do you prefer? Do you prefer beer to wine? Molecules on your mobile phone can reveal it all.
According to a study by Californian scientists, molecules on mobile phones can reveal stunning secrets of the owner, no matter how may they try to hide it from the public. It reveals about the person's lifestyle and health. It also reveals the person's medication and food preferences.
The research team at the University of California, San Diego carried out the test on 500 samples from 40 mobile phones. The team found traces of caffeine, skin creams, spices and even anti-depressants. The reason is that you leave molecule traces on everything you touch. You also leave bacteria and chemicals on things you touch.
Even if you wash your hands thoroughly for a number of times, it does not prevent the molecules from transferring to the objects you touch, according to the scientists. Spectrometry, as it is called, reveals a lot more than what you may like. The test results are compared to molecules from a database. It eventually produces a "lifestyle profile" of the owner.
Most molecules found on mobile phones are believed to be from the skin. But, molecules get transferred from sweat and hands to the phones as well. The things that stay for a longer period of time include sunscreens and mosquito repellants. Those are believed to last for a really long time even if the owner does not use it for months.
"By analysing the molecules they left behind on their phones, we could tell if a person is likely to be female, uses high-end cosmetics, dyes her hair, drinks coffee, prefers beer over wine, likes spicy food, is being treated for depression, wears sunscreen and bug spray - and therefore likely to spend a lot of time outdoors - all kinds of things," the BBC quoted project assistant Dr. Amina Bouslimani.
Are you depressed and unwilling to reveal it to the public? It may not be possible if you carry a mobile phone. Now, scientists have a key to your deepest secrets.
