Why do we have fingerprints?
Recent research suggests that the reason why we have fingerprints is to appreciate the finer things in life quite literally. Our sense of touch is all about the nerve endings on the end of our fingers are called pacinian corpuscles. They are triggered when you touch something and they send the signal up to your brain when you work out what you've touched. Researchers explained that the tiny grooves in your fingerprint are actually responsible for working out your touching a small hair or tiny speck of dust. If our fingers were smooth, it would be very hard to distinguish the surface texture of silk from a cotton cloth. Hence, fingerprints improve our sense of touch.
Genesis 27:21
"And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not."
Why are they unique?
To answer the question, “Why do we have unique fingerprints?”, we need to first look at how we were formed. We need to rewind the clock to when you’re a fetus in your mother's womb. Now, the way that your fingerprint ridges form is when you actually reach out and touch the various surfaces around you. You got various layers of skin and fat in your fingers. The top layer is known as the epidermis. The lower layer of the epidermis actually gets squashed between the upper layer and the soft dermis layer underneath it as you’re pressing down. That is what forms those fingerprint ridges. The reason that it’s completely unique to everybody is there are so many different variables going on. The composition, the density, amniotic fluid sploshing around the fetus and goes around and around the fingers. The motion of the fluid gets factored into fingerprint development while the fingers press against the side of the womb. That’s why everybody has a completely different set of fingerprints. -Even identical twins!
Image Source
Look at the whirlwind patterns and interesting shapes on a thumbprint.
They are wear-proof and grow back if they become worn down (even from years of regular use).
They eventually grow back even if the finger had a severe burn.
Both the top and underside of the epidermis (the outer skin layer) produce a fingerprint.
The inner skin layer called dermis stores a perfect copy of the outer skin layer prints.
Even after death, when the outer skin layer decomposes and falls off from the hand, usable fingerprints remain.
Our fingerprints stay constant as we grow.
We also have unique prints, on our palms and on our feet!
So there you go. Fingerprints are very interesting and they are used for our sense of touch. They’re also used to unlock the latest smartphones!
What does the Bible say?
Bonus Facts
Some animals have fingerprints
As you might imagine, some animals have fingerprints too! Chimpanzees and gorillas have fingerprints too. -So do koalas! They’re not only cute but they only have fingerprints. Their prints are kind of indistinguishable from humans even under a microscope!
There are people without fingerprints. - less than twenty to be more exact!
Everyone knows that you can identify people by their fingerprints but what about when people don't have any? Medical researchers in Israel have identified people with completely smooth hands. A team of researchers at the dermatology department of Sourasky Medical Center has discovered the gene responsible for fingerprints. And with it, the reason why some people simply don't have any. - The reason is a defective gene. They have managed to isolate having no fingerprints to mutations of a particular gene. Have you met anyone with no fingerprints? I wonder what it would feel like to shake hands with them but it is highly unlikely since researchers figured out that only less than 20 people have this condition around the world. -A very rare condition.
FIngerprints Hidden Secrets - BBC
Fingerprints contain chemical signatures that can now be identified in the lab. It can not only identify but tell a lot about the person’s state as well.
Can Fingerprint Locks be Foiled?
In this experiment of the “Mythbusters,” they were able to open a digital lock with a copied fingerprint. It worked, but newer fingerprint scanners must be harder to trick nowadays.
