Scientists have discovered that breathing patterns are unique to individuals, offering a new biometric method for identification and health assessment.
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| A groundbreaking study shows nasal breathing patterns can identify people with 96.8% accuracy—potentially unlocking a new biometric and mental health tool. Image: Collected |
Rehovot, Israel — June 16, 2025:
In a discovery that could revolutionize biometric identification and health monitoring, scientists have found that human breathing patterns are as unique as fingerprints. Researchers at Israel’s Weizmann Institute of Science have demonstrated that nasal respiration can serve as a highly accurate individual identifier, with an impressive 96.8% accuracy rate.
Published in the journal Current Biology by Cell Press, the study outlines how a person’s unique “breath fingerprint” can also offer valuable insights into their physical and mental well-being. The research team, led by neuroscientist Noam Sobel, developed a lightweight wearable device to track nasal airflow continuously for 24 hours. The device uses soft tubes placed beneath the nostrils and gathers long-term respiratory data far beyond the brief assessments used in traditional medical exams.
"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."
The study involved 100 healthy young adults who wore the device while engaging in their daily routines. The researchers were able to identify participants with high precision based solely on their breathing patterns. Even after a two-year gap, the accuracy remained stable across repeated tests, rivaling modern voice recognition technologies.
What surprised researchers even more was the consistency of breath patterns despite changes in activity—whether participants were running, relaxing, or studying. "I thought it would be really hard to identify someone because everyone is doing different things," said co-author Timna Soroka. "But it turns out their breathing patterns were remarkably distinct."
Beyond identification, the study revealed deeper links between respiration and various aspects of health. The team found correlations between breathing patterns and factors such as body mass index (BMI), circadian rhythms, anxiety, depression, and behavioral traits. For example, individuals with higher anxiety scores tended to take shorter breaths and exhibited greater variability in breathing pauses during sleep.
Interestingly, none of the participants were clinically diagnosed with mental or behavioral conditions, suggesting that long-term monitoring of nasal airflow could serve as an early indicator of psychological or emotional states.
Sobel speculated that this discovery may do more than passively measure health. “We intuitively assume that how depressed or anxious you are changes the way you breathe," he said. "But it might be the other way around. Perhaps the way you breathe makes you anxious or depressed. If that's true, we might be able to change the way you breathe to change those conditions."
This research not only introduces a new form of biometric identification but also hints at groundbreaking possibilities in diagnosing and managing mental health, making your breath a powerful—and personal—new diagnostic tool.