Overview

• A study in Current Biology had 100 healthy adults wear a nasal airflow device for 24 hours and achieved 96.8% accuracy in identifying individuals.
• Distinct breathing patterns were linked to body mass index, sleep-wake cycles and mental health measures including anxiety and depression.
• The prototype uses soft tubes under the nostrils, but participants reported discomfort and it cannot capture mouth breathing.
• Weizmann Institute scientists are developing a more comfortable, low-profile version for continuous, everyday monitoring.
• Future work will explore whether guiding people to mimic healthy breathing rhythms can improve emotional and mental well-being.