how do fingertips work? What makes them so unique and why they generate on the fingers and not other parts of the body?
In: Biology
You do in fact have a “skin print” as well, that is also quite unique.
Take a very close look at a part of your body with minimal hair. You’ll see ridges and divots, pores, scars, lines. All identifying markers.
The reason we don’t use “skin prints” is twofold.
First, a “skin print” is not nearly so clear as a finger or hand print because it is obscured by hair. We don’t grow hair on our hands or fingers. We also have the added benefit of deep valleys and ridges on our hands and fingers. These are there to give us grip, and they leave a clear impression behind when we touch something.
The second reason is convenience. It is far simpler to use your fingerprints than any other part of you. We more often leave fingerprints behind than any other type of clear impression. It is easier to take fingerprints from people than it is to take skin or even toe impressions.
To answer your question about how fingerprints form:
In the womb, we are formed in a specific way. Your heart, for example, begins upside down and twists into place as it grows. Similarly, your skin grows in a very specific way to form the characteristic rings on your fingers. These rings are loosely aligned with innervation that responds to moisture. In the wet, your fingers wrinkle to increase grip. Your fingerprints are your “dry weather” grip.
Latest Answers