Have you ever looked at your fingertips? Did you ever notice that they’re covered in little bumps and ridges? If you did not notice them yet, grab your magnifying glass or go under the sunlight. Now, look at those patterns on the tips of your fingers. Those are your fingerprints or what scientists call <\/span>dermatoglyphs<\/strong>.<\/span> D<\/span>ermatoglyphs<\/span> are special parts of your body and your unique identifier.<\/span><\/p>\n Scientists have found that there are 3 patterns in fingerprints:<\/p>\n –\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Whorls, like a swirl or circles<\/p>\n –\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Loops, like curvy lines that start and end on the same side of the finger.<\/p>\n –\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Arches, which start and end on each side of the fingers<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Each of your fingers has a different pattern and usually, you will have 2 or 3 patterns of fingerprints. Moreover, it is very rare to have only one type of pattern.<\/p>\n Nobody else has a fingerprint that is like yours. Your fingerprints are different from any other person. When you get bigger, your fingerprints get bigger and the pattern never changes. Your fingerprints are unique to you only they are your biological identity. In short, fingerprints are the ID that nature has given you.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n The fingerprints patterns are controlled by genetics. Even though many people think it\u2019s random, a lot of it is a product of your genes<\/a>!<\/p>\n The ridges are formed before you are born when you were in your mommy womb! They are one of the earliest features to develop inside the womb.<\/p>\n Between the 6-7 weeks of the fetus\u2019s development, the fetus starts to get some thick pads on his palms and feet. Those pads are called Volar Pads<\/strong>. Volvar Pads appear when special kind STEM cells (cells that can produce a different kind of cells) swell beneath the existing layers of the skin<\/a>.<\/p>\n On week 9-10, the pads stop growing while the hands continue to grow. On week 15, the volar pads smooth out in the hands and feet that we know.<\/p>\n Whether the volar pad is big or small, or off to the side or grows unevenly, determines the main pattern of a fingerprint.<\/p>\n Because your volar pad size and orientation is genetic, many relatives and most of the identical twins have the same main pattern on each finger. So, DNA alone isn\u2019t from where the uniqueness of the fingerprints comes from. Instead, it\u2019s the result of the chaotic way in which your fingers grow. The form of the ridges is also influenced by environmental factors such as:<\/p>\n Last, the pattern locks in during the 24 weeks of development of the fetus. Furthermore, it never changes throughout your life.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"Fingerprints\"](\"https:\/\/littlemedicalschool.com\/ottawa\/files\/2022\/04\/20180506070-300x203-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\nShapes of our fingerprints<\/strong><\/h4>\n
How do fingerprints form?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Why do we need fingerprints?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
![\"Fingerprints](\"https:\/\/littlemedicalschool.com\/ottawa\/files\/2022\/04\/20180506069-300x300-1.jpg\")
<\/strong>We all know by now that fingerprints are a form of <\/span>Identification and Uniqueness<\/strong>.<\/strong> The fact that everyone has a different fingerprint can also be useful. In particular, the police<\/a> can use fingerprints to solve crimes. <\/span>If a thief stole jewellery from a store and left his fingerprints behind, the police can check those fingerprints<\/span><\/span>. They compare them to their database to find who has a matching fingerprint.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Scientists have found that fingerprints are very important in the mechanism of touch. Without them, it’d be difficult for you to read information and interact with whatever you’re touching or holding in your hands.<\/p>\n