Every individual has a distinct breathing pattern, much like a fingerprint, that researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science identified with 96.8% accuracy using wearable nasal monitors. This “respiratory fingerprint,” shaped by a person’s unique traits, genes, and microbes, could provide valuable insights into diagnosing and treating both physical and mental health conditions. The discovery highlights yet another way humans are biologically unique, with breathing patterns serving as an uncharted marker of individuality that may open new pathways for medical research and personalized therapies.
ZME SCIENCE
At the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, a team of researchers set out to explore a surprisingly uncharted territory — the human breath. They weren’t studying it as doctors usually do, searching for signs of disease. Nor were they measuring athletic performance or lung capacity. What they wanted to know was something deeper and rather unorthodox: whether the rhythm of a person’s breath was as distinctive as their voice or as revealing as their fingerprints.
The answer, it turns out, is yes.
A Signature in the Air
Researchers led by neuroscientist Noam Sobel and doctoral student Timna Soroka demonstrated that people have unique “nasal respiratory fingerprints.” By tracking the way air flows through the nose over a 24-hour period, they identified individuals with an astounding 96.8% accuracy. Even after months — sometimes nearly two years — the signature held.
“You would think that breathing has been measured and analyzed in every way,” said Sobel. “Yet we stumbled upon a completely new way to look at respiration. We consider this as a brain readout.”