[HN Gopher] Humans have nasal respiratory fingerprints
___________________________________________________________________
Humans have nasal respiratory fingerprints
Author : srameshc
Score : 35 points
Date : 2025-06-12 20:26 UTC (2 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (www.cell.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.cell.com)
| hiatus wrote:
| Today it requires wearing a mask to effectively capture the data.
| I wonder if we will see this done acoustically or via some other
| non-intrusive, remote method.
| ortusdux wrote:
| > I wonder if we will see this done acoustically or via some
| other non-intrusive, remote method.
|
| Would be interesting if this could be used to reliably diagnose
| sinus issues.
| boomlinde wrote:
| Can't wait for my phone to identify me by making an impulse
| response recording of my nose so I can convince it that I'm me at
| 6 in the morning.
| EGreg wrote:
| You're going to have to, though..
| yujzgzc wrote:
| They demonstrated it on a 24h recording, not likely applicable
| for phone unlock...
| ASalazarMX wrote:
| TOO MANY ID FAILURES. PLEASE ESKIMO KISS YOUR PHONE FOR 24
| HOURS TO CONFIRM IDENTITY.
| yndoendo wrote:
| Modern security recommends two form factor authentication.
| Still need the finger print or heartbeat tracker to login.
|
| Apple recommends using the piss test sensor that will sequence
| your DNA for the security enclave decryption key. Holding the
| finger print while delivering the data stream maximizes
| security. Someone might of too the piss out if you without
| knowing.
| evanjrowley wrote:
| In the future, US citizens wanting to exercise their 4th
| amendment right against unlawful seziure of their biometrics will
| do so by ceasing to breathe.
|
| Because you can't require a warrant for biometrics that you
| impart to the (public) environment around you, like fingerprints
| on a door handle, saliva on a discarded cigarette, or in this
| case... air.
| quantum_state wrote:
| LOL ...
| ortusdux wrote:
| Better wear clean suits while they are at it:
|
| "DNA captured from the air could track wildlife, invasive
| species--and humans. Technology could be a boon for science,
| but raises ethical concerns"
|
| https://www.science.org/content/article/dna-captured-air-cou...
| pessimizer wrote:
| You can make illegal the possession, transport, sale or use of
| dossiers collecting that and similar data, though. We won't,
| because the people who own our governments wouldn't like it.
| But it is a choice.
| jfengel wrote:
| Unlawful sneezure
| sva_ wrote:
| It appears like you need a rather long sample (hours) to have a
| good chance of identifying someone.
| imzadi wrote:
| Not very practical when they have to record the sample for
| several hours with a mask. I'm sure in 10 years they'll be able
| to do it with a 10 second sample as you walk by, though.
| mountain_peak wrote:
| Kind of a silly personal anecdote, but growing up, my father had
| a unique "strained" nostril breathing pattern and bad sleep apnea
| + COPD. I became 'hyper aware' of people's breathing patterns -
| to the point where people at work had fun with it - standing
| behind me breathing normally. I could identify who it was > 90%
| of the time (they were not trying to breathe quietly or
| differently). I often thought of people's breathing signature as
| sort of factor to identify them by. I certainly didn't think I
| was the first person to note this.
|
| More interestingly, I'm also able to pick out people who have
| early signs of "decreased health" based on their breathing
| pattern at rest - I don't think it's overly difficult.
|
| This study appears to cover both aspects - creating a breathing
| fingerprint and estimating BMI. I certainly wasn't aware of
| breathing differences associated with cognitive state. Bravo to
| the researchers for formalizing all of this - hope some positive
| interventional techniques are driven by these findings.
| tough wrote:
| is there any sensor data from stuff like apple health care that
| could be put into an ML to detect such changes on breathing
| fingerprint?
| mountain_peak wrote:
| Your thoughtful question is definitely along the lines where
| the research could change health outcomes. Apple Health
| currently tracks trends over time and can alert if any
| disconcerting trends are identified. If Apple were able to
| capture a breathing signature at rest, say once a month,
| trends could be identified (via training data, as you
| mention) and data optionally provided to healthcare
| providers.
|
| Some people who are alone (including my father) have no idea
| that they have sleep apnea or 'odd' breathing - for apnea,
| they're obviously asleep, and for other breathing factors,
| it's usually a slow and unnoticeable progression.
| refulgentis wrote:
| Is a fingerprint only workable as an identifier in 94 out of 97
| people? (I assume no because ex. Apple shipped touch ID)
| hilux wrote:
| I guess I'll just have to Wim Hof Breathe all day so they can't
| catch me!
___________________________________________________________________
(page generated 2025-06-12 23:00 UTC)