Fingerprints unlock smartphones. They help detectives identify suspects. But why do we even have them?
Researchers are seeking to explain this fascinating feature — and they're making good progress.
In a 2020 study published in the journal Proceedings of the National; Academy of Sciences, researchers showed that those little ridges on your fingertips may help you grip and hold objects. Another study in the Journal of Neuroscience showed that the ridges also feature fields that explain the sensitivity of human touch.
Some odd facts about fingerprints:
* Only primates and koalas have them.
* They don't change with age.
* A zebra's unique stripe pattern and a leopard's spots form in the same way as fingerprints.
* Human fingerprints begin forming in the 10th week of gestation and are fully formed at 17 weeks.