Why earwax & kittens are no recipe for successful IT security

Scientists at the Monell Chemical Senses Centre in the US have discovered the aroma of earwax varies from person to person. More accurately, the chemical compounds that make it smell vary and create a unique waxy identifier. In fairness, the boffins behind this discovery have not suggested earwax as a replacement for computer passwords, but some security experts are already talking up its potential as an authentication mechanism. I am not surprised, given my exposure to equally daft-sounding biometric authentication projects in recent years.