Men and women’s hands can be distinguished just from their scent

The analysis of scent compounds from a person’s hand can reveal whether they are a man or woman, which could help police work out what happened at a crime scene.

Human odour is a complex mixture of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) secreted from the body. These chemicals are a product of genetics, the environment and body secretions.

To see what information can be gleaned from them, Kenneth Furton at Florida International University and his colleagues …