eli5 why do identical twins have the same DNA but not the same fingerprints?
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Fingerprints are like zebra stripes or leopard pattern, there are no two identical animals in nature. Such patterns are established by a [Turing reaction-diffusion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turing_pattern) system. When there are two diffusible substances (e.g. two different kinds of molecules or cells) they interact with each other and generate a periodic pattern. “The fingerprints ridge formation occurs as a set of waves spreading from variable initiation sites defined by the local signaling environments and anatomical intricacies of the digit, with the propagation and meeting of these waves determining the type of pattern that forms.” ([link](https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(23)00045-4)) Probably the easiest analogy is the wave interference pattern you get when you drop two or more stones in a pond.
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