Someone yesterday on MSNBC commented that the FBI

[MineralMan]

will have DNA evidence because "they licked the stamps." Apparently that person has not mailed a letter for some time. The USPS has not used stamps with water-activated adhesive for a very long time, now. All current stamps are peel-and-stick. That's how it has been for years.

Worse, nobody commented on the misstatement.

[jberryhill]

1. But if they didn't know the stamps were self-stick, they might have licked them anyway

A-ha!

[MineralMan]

3. LOL!

I didn't think of that.

[jberryhill]

6. Well a lot of people here beat you to it

...as noted in your OP.

[bearsfootball516]

2. Lol what a moron.

I haven't licked a stamp for decades, I can't remember the last time they weren't peel-and-stick.

[MineralMan]

12. The USPS started introducing peel-and-stick stamps

in the 1990s. They discontinued selling lick-and-stick stamps altogether on a retail basis sometime around 2007. One place I looked sad that large coils of stamps with water-activated adhesive are still sold for commercial use, since some machinery used in automated stamping still requires it. However most commercial postage is printed directly on the mail-pieces, so that's likely to disappear soon.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

4. I saw that, and that was my first thought too.

I looked at those "Forever" stamps and thought, "when was the last time you mailed a letter?"

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

5. Obviously that person hasn't mailed anything with a stamp in many years.

But because the stamps are sticky there could be other trace evidence on them. Every time I use stamps (or anything sticky), cat hair always ends up stuck to them.

[jberryhill]

8. Or they are still working off of that roll in their junk drawer

[Silver Gaia]

10. Cat hair always ends up stuck to damn near everything!

LOL

[MineralMan]

13. Cat hair sticks to everything. It's a miraculous thing.

Surely, there must be a use for that property.

[TreasonousBastard]

21. People have found uses for dryer lint...

https://www.pinterest.com/pooh5454/uses-for-dryer-lint/

So why haven't they found uses for cat hair?

I seems they have:

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/dog-and-cat-hair-shedding-ew_n_5592444

[MineralMan]

23. We always put some of our dog's shedded undercoat

out in the spring for the birds. Our Beagle/Basset, Dude, sheds massive amounts of his soft undercoat all year long. Most of that gets swept up and put in the trash, but every spring, we throw clumps of it onto the yard for the birds to use in their nests.

[spooky3]

26. That's so funny! Bird Society probably lauds the birds

With the most elegant fur nests!

I have a long haired cat and should follow your example—though birds may have an instinctive aversion to cat hair.

[MineralMan]

27. No, they'll take cat hair, too, for nest-building.

I watched a mockingbird in my old home town in California dive on a long-haired cat outdoors and fly away with a beak full of fur. Fearless.

[spooky3]

30. Ok; that will motivate me to make her do more brushing,

which she hates.

[Hoyt]

7. The so-called experts they have on the networks don't make me feel very confident.

They have them on for hours saying the obvious over and over.

Truthfully, I'm getting tired of all the BS about these "bombs." I get it is serious, but so is the upcoming election, investigation of trump, etc.

[Tarc]

9. people keep old stamps around for years, though

and either use multiples, or those "make-up" 1 and 2 cent stamps.

I can easily picture the type of loon doing this as some grizzled nutter with a drawer-full of saved stamps because "he don't trust the gol'dang gubbermint", etc...

The next drawer down from the stamp drawer is probably full of incandescent light bulbs.

[MineralMan]

14. Alll of the stamps on those packages were

American Flag "Forever" stamps, which have never had adhesive backing. There have been several photos shown.

[Tarc]

15. Ahh ok, did not catch that. Interesting.

[redstatebluegirl]

11. Plus the padded envelopes have the self sticking adhesive you don't have to lick those any longer.

We can hope some hair, or fingerprints exist, but that is a long shot.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

16. Investigators love sticky things like self-sealing envelopes and tape

because they collect trace evidence. As a cat servant I can testify that every sticky thing I have ever used has cat hair on it, and probably my own hair and god knows what other stuff that was floating around my house. It's more than likely that there's useful evidence on those envelopes, whether from the stamps, the envelope flaps, the mailing labels or the tape on the bombs.

[redstatebluegirl]

17. Mine would be covered with dog fur! You are right, they would collect quite a bit of

evidence, especially if they were made at their home.

[spooky3]

29. We have a Roomba and the amount of tiny particles and dust

It picks up along with cat hair is amazing—even when used frequently. “Evidence” all over the place...

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

31. I want a Roomba for my cats to ride on.

[spooky3]

33. I've seen those videos! Mine haven't wanted to ride on it, but the first day the Roomba was used

they were extremely curious (never afraid) and followed it everywhere. Now it's a big yawn.

[spooky3]

28. If you've ever watched Forensic Files, you would be

amazed at the clues they can use. As a former prosecutor said on MSNBC yesterday, bombs that have not exploded provide a treasure trove of evidence.

[mercuryblues]

32. exactly

the people who make them, expect them to blow up and erase the evidence. They don't bother with counter forensic measures.

[dawg day]

18. fingerprints

... adhere to sticky things.

[MineralMan]

19. Yes they do.

I haven't checked to see if peel-and-stick stamps retain fingerprints, though. Normally, when I use them, only a very tiny part of my finger touches the sticky side, though. Also, if I try to peel them off an envelope, the adhesive tears some of the paper surface off, so I'm not sure they'd be able to recover any fingerprint information from used stamps. I don't know, though. Maybe they can.

[hlthe2b]

20. True... but there are a lot of mailing envelopes that still have "lick" adhesive....

so, it is possible.

[MineralMan]

22. That's true, but that isn't what the MSNBC person mentioned.

Depending on where you buy them, those 6x9 manilla envelopes could have water activated adhesive or the pull-off strips over a pressure-activated adhesive. So, it's possible there is saliva residue on the flap, for sure.

Not everyone's DNA is in a database somewhere, though. So, it might not help figure out who the bomber is. It could help as evidence, though, once they catch him or her.

[hlthe2b]

24. Sure... still, ever try applying a self-adhesive stamp with gloves on?

Damn near impossible, so that this could have been a DNA or fingerprint revealing error... Guess we shall see...

[allgood33]

25. When you never have to mail a letter but have others do it for you, you just don't know real life.

Some live in a world in which everything is done for you because you are just too busy tracking your wealth.