DRUG smugglers beware: police can now find out where a shipment of cocaine
comes from. James Ehleringer of the University of Utah and his colleagues have
shown that they can match samples of cocaine to their country of origin with
over 90 per cent accuracy. They look at the carbon and nitrogen isotope ratios,
which are determined by the environment in which the coca plants were grown
(Nature, vol 408, p 311). The US Drug Enforcement Administration plans
to use the technique in its labs.
To continue reading, today with our introductory offers
Advertisement
More from New Scientist
Explore the latest news, articles and features
Popular articles
Trending New Scientist articles
1
The world's fastest spider tops 3.5 metres per second
2
Where, when and how to watch the 2026 solar eclipse
3
Babies are born with the neural foundations for maths
4
A type of fibre that stimulates GLP-1 release approved for use in food
5
We’ve uncovered a master gene that switches on human development
6
The weirdness of neutrinos could completely rewrite particle physics
7
I’m the first person whose life was saved by CRISPR base editing
8
The best new science-fiction novels published in July 2026
9
This physicist is hunting for the biggest black hole in the universe
10
Remote-controlled cockroach swarm can now breathe underwater
