Solving crime through corneal reflections

The key to solving a crime could lie in the subject's eyes. Image Credit: sxc.hu

Forensic experts may be able to capture an image of a suspect through the eyes of bystanders.

In a recent study, researchers were able to demonstrate that it is possible to learn new details from photographs of a crime scene by zooming in and analyzing the reflections in someone's eyes.

"The pupil of the eye is like a black mirror," said researcher Rob Jenkins. "To enhance the image, you have to zoom in and adjust the contrast. A face image that is recovered from a reflection in the subject's eye is about 30,000 times smaller than the subject's face."

This remarkable new technique could prove invaluable in situations where a kidnapper has taken pictures of a hostage - the photographer themselves unknowingly ending up being the subject of the very photograph they are taking.

"Our findings thus highlight the remarkable robustness of human face recognition, as well as the untapped potential of high-resolution photography," said Jenkins.