NCBI ROFL: Distinguishing between new and slightly worn underwear: a case study.

Explore a fascinating shop-lifting case study that details methods to differentiate new and used underwear effectively.

Written byncbi rofl
| 1 min read
Google NewsGoogle News Preferred Source

Newsletter

Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news

Sign Up

"This case study relates to a suspect accused of shop-lifting a pair of underwear briefs from a department store. The report presents a method that was used to distinguish between new and used underwear employing both laser examination for biological staining and microscopical examination for thread wear."

Meet the Author

More on Discover
Image of a marine reptile skeleton on the sea floor, with plankton above it
Evolving Plankton May Have Kicked Off Life's Comeback After the Dinosaur-Killing Asteroid Impact
Skeleton of a Sthenurine, an ancient giant kangaroo in a museum
Fossils Reveal Ancient Giant Kangaroos Could Hop — But Only in Short Bursts
Petri dish of a microbe colony
Microbial Communities That Support Human and Plant Health Could Be Key to Life in Space
Illustration of bacteria that causes syphilis, Treponema pallidum
5,500-Year-Old Human Remains Extend the Origins of Syphilis-Causing Bacteria by 3,000 Years
Paranthropus fossilized mandible pieced together with other fossilized remains in the background
A 2.6-Million-Year-Old Jaw Uncovers a Missing Hominin From the Afar Region
Close-up of the elephant bone tool
500,000-Year-Old Elephant Bone Hammer Reveals Clever Tool-Making Skills of Early Humans
Illustration of the Artemis rocket with the moon in the background
NASA’s Artemis II Rocket Arrives at Launch Pad Ahead of Moon Mission
Veronika, a brown cow with horns, sitting in a mountain meadow with a stick in her mouth
This Cow’s Multi-Purpose Tool Use Challenges Assumptions About Animal Intelligence
A LOFAR DR2 image of the reborn black hole, J1007+3540
Black Hole Reawakens Like a Cosmic Volcano After 100 Million Years of Sleep
A Gentoo penguin colony in Antarctica
Antarctic Penguins Are Breeding 13 Days Earlier Than They Did a Decade Ago — Likely Due to Climate Change
Chankillo site in South America with the Milky Way above
The Earliest-Known Astronomical Observatory in the Americas May Offer New Insights
blue one-celled organisms
One-Celled Organisms Laid the Foundations for Complex Life — Here's How

Stay Curious

JoinOur List

Sign up for our weekly science updates

View our Privacy Policy

SubscribeTo The Magazine

Save up to 40% off the cover price when you subscribe to Discover magazine.

Subscribe