Researchers from Emory University and Georgia Tech developed a smartphone app to screen for anemia using images of a person’s fingernail beds instead of the conventional blood test.

Anemia, which is believed to affect over 2 billion people worldwide, occurs when someone does not have enough healthy red blood cells or hemoglobin to carry oxygen to the body’s tissues.

The color of the fingernail bed reflects the amount of hemoglobin in the blood. Hemoglobin is the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen through the body and gives blood its red hue.

When hemoglobin levels drop, fingernail beds appear paler.

The AI-powered algorithm in the new app was tested on over 9,000 users, whose fingernail selfies were compared to their clinical blood test results.

Within seconds of submitting a fingernail photo, the tech estimated hemoglobin levels with remarkable accuracy.

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