Why Do We Have Fingerprints?
What are fingerprints -
Fingerprint is an impression of an area of friction ridges skin left upon a surface.
They are ridged patterns that present on the ends of your fingers and thumbs. Friction
ridges are also present on our palm, toes, and soles. These ridges are known as papillary
ridges or dermal ridges.
There are four types of patterns in fingerprints that found
in world population.
Arch, 2) loops, 3) Whorls and 4) composite patterns.
Fingerprints are unique and are permanent throughout the whole human life.
Even in the case of identical twins, they are different. They are
our natural ID.
How do fingerprints form?
Fingerprints ridges are formed before we are born when we are tiny fetus developing
in the mother’s womb. According to one theory, in the 6th week of fetus’s development,
the fetus gets some thick pads on his palms and feet. These pads are named Volar Pads.
When STEM cells swell beneath the existing layers of the skin Volar Pads appeared.
In the 10th week of pregnancy fingerprints begin to develop.
In between 9-10 week, the pads stop growing while the hands continue to grow.
In 15 week of pregnancy, the volar pads become smooth and according to their
size and position the main pattern of a fingerprint determined. The receding volar
pads slanted towards one side when the first fingerprint ridges formed, then the
pattern also slanted and forming a loop.
When the volar pads are flat then whorl pattern will be formed and when volar pads
disappeared then arch pattern ridges will be formed.
Our genes play the role in volar pads size but the fingerprints ridges also influenced
by some environmental factors. These are…..
The pressure of fluids inside the womb
Fetus position inside the womb, weather touching the amniotic
sac
The density of the amniotic fluid inside the womb.
How nerves and capillary grow below the skin
The finger orientated direction relative to gravity
Fingerprint pattern completed during the 24 weeks of
development of the fetus. After that, it never changes throughout our life.
Our skin has three layers. Upper layer is epidermis, inner
is called dermis and the basal layer of epidermis lies between them. The 2nd
theory states that the middle skin layer is scrunched between the two layers.
In a foetus, basal layer grows faster than the other two layers, resulted a
strain against its neighbors. Straining pressure makes the skin to buckle and
folding of the epidermis into the dermis in a specific ways resulted in
patterns on our fingertips as fingerprints. That’s why these patterns cannot be
destroyed by superficial skin injuries because they are coded underneath the
skin surface.
Why Do We Have Fingerprints?
As all of us know that the
probability to meet someone in this world with the same fingerprints is 1 in 64
million. They are the used for identification and they are unique. Even twins
having the same DNA but different fingerprints. Some countries need fingerprints
to issue a passport.
Fingerprints help us to grab objects and we pick up things easily.
We can separate pages of paper from each other, get cards and money from our
wallets, play the piano, guitar, type on a keyboard, etc.
The uniqueness of fingerprints allow it to be used for background
checks, mass disaster identification, biometric security, and to link crime
with criminal by getting chance prints at scene of crime.
A person identity can be confirm or disprove by fingerprint evidence.
In this way it can play a crucial role in criminal investigations
Fingerprints are also used as a key or password to access
the computer, laptop or mobile phone.
Chimpanzees and Koalas have unique fingerprints like humans.
MR. DEEPAK PAWAR has been working as Finger Print Expert / Police Officer in Finger Print Bureau , Delhi Police at New Delhi since 2001 . He is the senior most Finger Print Expert , attending / visited several scene of crime and solved many crime cases .He has passed M.Sc (Chemistry) and he is the Member of International Association of Identification . He is the Member of Delhi Police welfare association . He is supervising the Forensic , New Delhi District , Mobile Crime Team . He is one of the Expert in the Special Investigation Team held for investigation of important cases . He has been giving fingerprint proficient training to Delhi Police personnel's . He has been Presented / giving lectures on topics related to forensic science . He is also making examination paper of Finger Print proficient course . He is awarded with Police Medal by MHA and Delhi Police.