How Do My Fingerprints Form?

How do fingerprints form? Even though many people think it’s random, a lot of it has to do with your genes!
Hosted by: Hank Green
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Sources:
www.pnas.org/content/108/19/77...
www.scientificamerican.com/art...
math.arizona.edu/~anewell/publ...
biometrics.cse.msu.edu/Publica...
journals.plos.org/plosone/arti...
www.crime-scene-investigator.n...
www.livescience.com/30-lasting...

[@RusteyGuy]

I spent much of this video staring at my hands. I hope I'm not alone on that...

[@vijithranagamanickam9804]

ME TOO

[@girlgoddess2232]

I did too

[@kasimsaric2454]

Me too I think fingerprints are more than just identity.

[@juststeveschannel]

This was one of those "You think you kind of have a handle on things and then you learn (again) that there's so much interesting stuff still to learn" videos. Thanks for producing so many of them!

[@joer.6548]

I love this channel. Its always so interesting and sometimes makes you uncomfortable. Even so, i still love it

[@SteamBunneh]

after an injury (deep cut) to one of my fingertips my finger prints now deformed.. its kinda cool :D

[@SteamBunneh]

its kind of cool.. not only are we unique in fingerprints but they look better (in my opinion) than a regular boring ol' fingerprint lol

[@bandgeekak87]

Jay Aegis William Slaughter Your stories are at least interesting. I was shaving in the shower and the razor slipped out of my hand. I went to catch it but it kinda sliced off a dime sized chunk of the pad of my thumb x3 due to the number of blades. While the scar has finally shrunk to a little 'bubble', the way the ridges have reformed themselves to accommodate the scar is pretty cool. I'd say it's my coolest looking scar to date; although not one that has the coolest of stories.

[@AntshKhel]

I've chewed my fingers since I was a child. They're kinda screwy now.

[@frybreadndizhnikaaz3314]

+_t_love_ same i blew a chunk of my finger a long time ago and then i gut a deep cut in my finger so now a lot of my print on my left pointer finger is gone and the cut made it weird to

[@frybreadndizhnikaaz3314]

and i mean some of the flesh on my finger is gone to but lets not discuss that lol

[@spikeguy33]

QQ - will pet animals (like cats and dogs) get a lot smarter really fast due to evolution? I mean we're pretty much making our current pets smarter by teaching them manners and tricks and then also breeding them to pass the "smart genes". Intelligence was never so useful in their lives as it is these days.

[@lapincretin3977]

good question tho

[@merrymachiavelli2041]

I've actually always wondered about that. There are some breeds of dog which have been selectively bred for forms of intelligence, such as the Border Collie, I always wondered how smart you could get a dog breed (or any other animal for that matter) to be via artificial selection. Are there particular hurdles at any point such as cranium size or psychology? Could you, theoretically, breed a dogs to fully able to understand human speech? (I'm talking listening to audiobooks and speeches, not 'Roll Over') Of course, this requires some parameters around which to measure 'intelligence' (which is surprisingly difficult, given that most definitions are deeply anthropocentric) but it still seems like it should be possible.

[@spikeguy33]

Merry Machiavelli Lets say they develop intelligence. That would cause a mountain of ethical problems. Do dogs get rights? Will they seek equal rights to humans?

[@lostraindrop]

UrbanTarzan Duh Then the ultimate question when they do get intelligent is.... can humans marry dogs?

[@alexanderschmidt8305]

I think I have an answer but Ill just upvote because I want to hear Hanks answer (:

[@silvergiovanni2658]

we actually talked about this in my material science class when discussing dislocations and disclinations. the patterns the fingerprints form are identical to the patterns cooling mixtures and ferromagnetic matterials make going from a disordered state to an ordered state. if you look at your palm at the base of the wrist and also at the start of the finger tips there should be more of the same disclinations

[@lifeswonderable]

SciShow, you are my life. You are the inspiration for me to go on like you... contributing to science by educating the masses. It would mean so much to me if you'd reply. I love you all so much because what you do helps so many people...

[@jessedepoel1600]

You guys are awesome!!!

[@dirtygurty4]

How do we "see" what we imagine or remember? This has always been something thats bewildered me

[@erenakers2241]

YOU ALWAYS COME THRU WITH SOME FACTS I WANT🙏 BLESS

[@domothunderbolt9147]

I really wish I could sub, but I can't so I'll try to share/tweet every video I get the chance! You guys have REALLY expanded my "fun fact" category

[@acdcfenderman]

Here's a QQ: What is wind? I was once told it is a product of cold air "replacing" the hot air that rises. Does it have anything to do with the Earth's rotation?

[@ethanlofing2798]

Wind is produced from convection currents in the air. So yes, as hot air rises cooler air rushes in to "replace" it. Same thing happens to bodies of water (with the help of wind) to produce currents, and molten rock in the earths mantle which cause the tectonic plates to shift.

[@Andytlp]

Ethan Lofing dont forget the sun. It creates winds too.

[@joshfratis2738]

Unravel heating and cooling if the earth. The water heats fastest, and gives of hot air.

[@mindlessreader1595]

The earths rotation is not creating wind, but it is changing its direction

[@drayhines4326]

is it true that cold air is just air lacking heat energy?

[@kamaiyahh2513]

OMG I'm literally learning about this in Forensic science class right now. I'm going to show this to my teacher! :D

[@Dieviete7]

How is that possible that I thought about this topic two days ago and now here is a video! 😄👍

[@samueljacques250]

good show i made me look at what type of finger print i have on each of thumbs if that makes you happy but very interesting stuff keep up the good work guys

[@yourfriendlyneighbourhoodh4700]

Hank you have yet to disappoint us my friend

[@yourfriendlyneighbourhoodh4700]

Also the sci show crew you guys are brilliant

[@fitsoul1483]

Would be very helpful if you wirte down on the description or website what you say on each video. It's easier to understand better what you say in the video for people as me that isn't english. Thanks and keep the good work :)

[@gokulj6269]

Nice video., wth extra info.

[@Beaver_Monday]

You should do a series on forensic science. It'd be pretty interesting.

[@nakada1996]

I have a question. How do sharp objects cut things in the atomic level? How do they even split open the bond between atoms?  edit: or molecules*

[@Torbox1]

It is true breaking the bond on an atomic level is difficult especially if you are talking about electrons off an atom, on the level of thousands of KiloJoules per Mole. However when you get cut you are breaking the bond between MOLECULES of flesh which is not super strong and they are not super densely packed. So when you think about the width of a knife edge, super thin, and the amount of force you apply, maybe 15 kg lets say, the energy on that knife edge exponentially increases the thinner it is.

[@maxrenaud7795]

Genji le Tale It doesn't, the cut is at the intermolecular level, sharp things don't split molecular chemical bonds just separate the molecules from each other. Things are held together by a variety of intermolecular forces which then are over come when an object is put in between them. Think of people holding hand playing red rover, the people are the molecules and their hands are the relatively weak intermolecular interactions. It is the hands that break, not the people, unless your game gets particularly rowdy lol. These bonds tend to include hydrogen bonds, van der walls, electrostatic attraction, ect.

[@vanessavlogs3185]

good question

[@huskytail]

I love how on each hand 4 of my fingers have whorls and the little tip is in the middle of the finger, and just on 1 finger it has a different pattern and the tip is slightly away from the center.

[@yeehaw4307]

QQ: What happens when you get a scar? And how come some scars almost dissapears with time and some get more visible with time? I am curious because a friend of mine has a huge scar on her foot and it's already kinda small, but I have a scar on my chin which is just getting more visible with time

[@Zachybearchrissy]

Ba bam! Lol who got that commercial?!

[@euphraisiahmakokha8613]

Well done

[@elliot6166]

Studying a character for mock trial who has to explain why DNA and fingerprints aren’t the same. This is incredibly helpful!

[@TheDraconifors]

You definitely got me thinking about my fingerprints. Very intriguing.

[@kyle13131]

I have 8 arches on my fingers and one thumb is a loop and the other thumb is a whorl. Such diversity

[@geekfreak2000]

So neat!

[@Bodglinite]

Always wondered about how the "creases" on our joints form, like the crease that allows my fingers bend, or my elbow to bend. Are all of them already on a newborn child, or do they form over time? That's why I got kicked out of the maternity ward

[@nickwilly7]

I have loops in the center and arches on all the rest, it leaves a cool fingerprint triangle.

[@zenzylok]

Very amusing.

[@shaylajacquelyn]

I don't have fingerprints, I'm in the men in black.

[@noahhounshel104]

Or she just stripped her fingers of any fingerprints. Sandpaper can do that to you

[@gabrielgomesbrito]

shaylajacquelyn Or you can wash your hands frequently with bad kitchen detergent and it will have the same result!

[@shaylajacquelyn]

lol it was a joke I do have fingerprints, also the men in black spread equality between human and aliens. The aliens that work for them are not "pets".

[@noahhounshel104]

I think we all know that.

[@iota-09]

it's weird... i have loops... though, i have those in bothe directions, as on "center-oop"the goes from left-center to lower-right, and another theat goes from right-center to higher-left.

[@juliettemorfin586]

So do I. It is weird that some people have different patterns on different fingers. I only have loops, but they go in all different directions.

[@iota-09]

Jay Aegis but it's the total opposite for me(left hand working like the right hand, and the left thumb have 2 loops that slants toward opposite directions in a ying-yang stile motion)? look, i'd take a picture to make you understand but i unfortunately don't have a good enough camera for that.

[@iota-09]

Jay Aegis yep, that's it.

[@woodfur00]

I've always assumed mine are loops, which I think they just barely still qualify as according to these definitions, but they're weirdly tall and square and symmetrical and actually more closely resemble the illustration of the whorl. I think I may have got a weird in-between spot.

[@thymeandspace110]

I have a couple of fingers like that: I have 5 loops, 3 whorls, and 2 in-betweens. No arches at all though, but personally I prefer loops and whorls, so... :)

[@woodfur00]

Jay Aegis I'm interested in that link, but it won't load. Chrome says the server sent no data.

[@woodfur00]

Jay Aegis I don't think mine is a central pocket loop whorl since it doesn't look anything like the picture, but the descriptions of imaginary lines kind of confused me.

[@woodfur00]

Jay Aegis I drew a picture. First one is my left middle finger, the other is my right middle finger. i.imgur.com/4Nu6npR.png

[@woodfur00]

Jay Aegis That's interesting to know. How do you know all this, anyway?

[@gouravnandwal]

please do episodes on 1.cloud seeding 2. science behind whistle(sound)

[@blueap06]

QQ- How much oxygen is made from 1 house plant and what house plant makes the most?

[@becauseimafan]

blueap06 Actually yes I would like to know this! 😃

[@daviddavis3939]

Could you guys do an episode on the E. coli Long-term Experimental Evolution Project. I think its really interesting and would love to see an episode about it.

[@thomaster8870]

I have whorls and loops and one finger kind of looks like it has arches, but I can't tell for sure, because it is sandpapered smooth.

[@satg5733]

Just realised that my 1st, 3rd and 5th fingers are loops and the 2nd and 4th fingers are whorls.. On both sides equally. Woah this is a HUGE realisation . ;) Thumbs up if you have these too !

[@valornthered]

While watching this I took a good look at mine, my left index finger has arches while the rest all have loops that face the ulnar side of my arm. Makes me wonder if loops will always face one side, or if it can differ.

[@olusegunadewusi2845]

Valorn loops go in and come out from the same side.

[@alexanderguzman6235]

On a quick note though my twin brothers fingerprint can totally get him past my computer's fingerprint scanner. So our print must be pretty freaking close though.

[@Jankolli]

About 1 minute in, I kept on studying my own prints and didn't pay attention to the rest of the video

[@erinsam7821]

Quick Question: Why are rain-bearing clouds dark? Is it because of the amount of water or is it something else. Thanks.

[@GreyException]

I have the first whorls but they look more circular and spread all over the tip of the finger instead of just an isolated spot like the red marking depicts...

[@powthekitty]

Q: Why are human eyes almond shaped and have the white part visible unlike most mammals?

[@luxtenax9175]

The white part is there so other humans can know whether those eyes are making contact with them or not. It's to make the body language easier.

[@JWQweqOPDH]

Adrian Fahrenheit Thanks, I didn't know that.

[@powthekitty]

Adrian Fahrenheit Jonah Reinhart Thanks for the explanation!

[@Taukaetau]

I have all three patterns. My thumbs are whorls, pinkies are loops, and the rest are arches.

[@argylegiraffe]

This was super interesting! After the video I decided to take a look at my finger tips and noticed my thumbs are loops, which makes sense in my opinion because they are shaped in a way that they would have an uneven pad (I guess) and I noticed all my fingers had hill-like lines! I wonder, and maybe a scientist could answer this, are my prints more "flat and even" because I was in the womb longer than I should have been? (I was 11 days late!) super curious.

[@rosieleaverton]

That's neat. I've noticed that on my thumbs and index fingers (on both hands) have "whorls", but all my other fingers have "swirls". I think I came about 3 days before my due date.

[@chestershum1735]

COOL!

[@TzarYuri]

the fingerprint on my left thumb is a double whirl with 4 lines going across from where I grabed a shaving razor when I was 4 or 5. lol

[@djAnakin]

Hank! Put your hands in your pockets, dude! :P

[@locust76]

"How Do My Fingerprints Form?" The same way babby forms, obviously!

[@saifanmm]

Wtf lol

[@EDGEELITE]

I have 4 horizontal "cut lines" on my arches of my fingerprint.. any idea what that could be? (Haven't cut my fingerprint) great vid again Hank / Sci-show!

[@pawelkorzeniewski4897]

Most likely wrinkles of sorts.

[@skates3540]

Oh yeah, I have those on my pointer finger. They look sort of like wrinkles.

[@jinacio]

after some wound, the same pattern regrows?

[@thestammisho]

QQ - why when there is a lightning the beam goes from the cloud to the surface? Shouldn't it the opposite? Because the the ground charge is negative - which means it have more electrons. While the clouds are are charged both. So- shouldn't the electrons go up the stream? ca's i don't think the atoms themselves will go down :)

[@mahone-kt4dj]

thank you

[@rachelle2227]

Wow, so all my fingerprints are whorls aside from one pinky which has loops. This pinky is also smaller than my other pinky. Could it possibly be why that finger has other prints, or correlated at least? And this isn't about fingerprints exactly, but on my thumb crinkles (no idea what those are called), there's a defined letter H there which I've always thought was cool. But I actually don't remember noticing it until I was like 15...

[@Torbox1]

I have a scar running across one of my fingers and it created a different pattern than what was there before so if you look at the fingerprint as a whole then it has this funny interrupt of what looks like a different print.

[@Yadobler]

Question Is it common or rare to have different shaped on both thumbs. My left thumb is a loop, but my right thumb is an arch. The intersting thing is all my fingers are loops, except my right thumb. My family don't hace this issue but me. Is there a name for this? I remember long time ago the police took scans of both my thumbs and the policemen and women at the counter gathered around the monitor becuase they never had seen two different shapes on both thumbs before

[@earlysda]

One of the first videos on this channel that didn't proselytize for the god of aeons of time that all Evolutionists are required to believe in. Good job!

[@mikki3208]

Could you tell us how our eye colour and pattern forms too?

[@directorredacted8408]

Also something he did not mention is aches are the most rare were only 7%peson of people have them witch is still alot were as whourse are the most common 42% present

[@joshfratis2738]

Are u gonna be on Vessel? Is Vlogbrothers?

[@paramdrall]

*Her -* Honey Come over. *Him -* Can't have to record video on FP formation. *Her ~* my Parents ain't home. *Him ~* Records Aggressive 3x Speed Video.

[@7xynOLDCHANNEL1209]

wth

[@fotios369]

QQ- my fingerprint on my left hand is clearly a swirl but on my right hand, has very distinct eclipses around a dot in the center. even by a 2 second look they look completely different. is that normal? or am i dying from dactiloprintius which is a totally legit condition...

[@requiembeeblebroxx]

I've just noticed that all of my fingerprints are loops, and all of them except for my pointer fingers are slanted inward (toward the pinkie). Now I kind of want to see if my immediate family shows a similar pattern.

[@Betsy7Cat]

On the topic of fingerprints: A couple months or so ago I had extremely bad eczema on my ring finger. That fingerprint does not visibly exist anymore. Any idea if it will come back? It also does not have what is required for good friction, for instance if I try to play piano that finger has a tendency to slip while my other fingers don't at all. It doesn't have what seems to be some kind of oil anymore either. So it's still dry.

[@cosmodewit]

I'm pretty sure fingerprints have the ability to grow back even if you would cut of a small part of the skin.

[@pawelkorzeniewski4897]

The friction ridge pattern may become less pronounced but it will not change, unless you get a scar or similar, in which case some loss or ridge detail may occur. There are actually several stories about people trying to remove or change their fingerprints by cutting or dipping the fingers in acid but it doesn't work (and any scarring will also make a fingerprint more unique and can be used as an additional detail in the analysis). I'd hypothesise that you will still have the ability/risk of depositing identifiable fingerprints/fingermarks although it might become more easier smudged during deposition. When it comes to the oily residue, it mainly comes from your face (eyes, side of nose, ears) because humans tend to touch their face. Sometimes your hands may become dry and you might not be able to see anything with the naked eye even on surfaces such as glass, however very often you can still develop the fingermark and use it for forensic purposes.

[@jreinhart3382]

cosmodewit is correct, unless your eczema was so bad that it caused scarring, your fingerprint should return. I have known people who have scars from burning or slicing their fingers that changed distorted their fingerprints, but you have no need to worry.

[@Betsy7Cat]

Alright, that's good. I think it's actually not entirely gone to be honest. It still acts up sometimes, but I thought it was just winter being winter. It was bad enough that it made the fingernail vertically ridged, I suspect it hit multiple layers of skin. I had to be prescribed a steroidal cream to get it to stop itching insanely, it was so bad it was red.

[@alexklausenstock3974]

Im an engineer. I was wondering if you guys might look at other forms of green renewable energy, and just kind of idk maybe give us your two cents on what you think will be the future of power. (i person lay am rooting for LFTR (thorium) reactors short term then fusion later.

[@bakke601]

i have looping pattern on all my fingers but one, wich have a loopy looking arch (i damaged this finger at a low age).

[@shaterproofblosm]

my left thumb has a really cool spiral :3

[@GreatGwiaz]

All if my fingers are loops except one, very intresting.

[@PavchBavin]

1:16 Unless you're the Penguin...

[@Shiralkian]

I have loops. I also have a rebel finger with its aubergine shape pointing towards the oppossite direction while all the other fingers have theirs looking to the same side. # Interesting facts

[@kain5056]

I used to work as a cook at some point, and for a month I had, like, no fingerprints at all! Seriously, glasses of water felt slippery in my hands for a while!

[@junkjackcriteria]

QQ: Why are Millwall Bricks(rioter's weapon made from a rolled newspaper folded in half) so hard on the fold's sides despite being paper to be able to bludgeon things(or people .-.)

[@TrimutiusToo]

And what if I came here from Patreon.com? LOL =)

[@Sarcastix7]

Food servers would make great criminals because their finger prints are often scorched off touching hot plates

[@christopherreid5903]

You guys should try using vessel to fund yourself

[@TetraSky]

I never really cared to look... but I have loop finger prints on about 6 fingers, and 4 arches (both middle and both indexes)...

[@stephanhazell414]

ok call me weird but my left thumb is almost a yinh yang, all the lines start from on side and end on the other but its twistedabout 2 mm off center of my thumb sorta like its been crimped in an s'ish shape but curving mirror image to its starting curve

[@Evaldas65]

I seem to be the odd kind where two of my fingers have diffrent shapes of fingerprints compared to others. Two are swirls, eight are loops.

[@michaelhelmicki3169]

Is there any, no matter how remote, possibility of identical fingerprints? What would be an approximate probability?

[@ToWhom]

I would like to know what dot eye is. After staring at the sun you get yellow/green dots in your eye. What is acctually happening?

[@yoBigWave]

Loop Group! right here!!

[@clsmith96]

Arches for the win.

[@H1DDENASSASSIN]

Please put Sci-Show on Vessel!!!!!!

[@vulcanus30]

please explain us blue/black vs gold/white dress fenomen?

[@DearestClaudio]

Left hand: Thumb - loop; index - whorl; middle - arch; ring - loop; pinkie - loop. Right hand: Thumb - whorl; index - loop; middle - loop; ring - loop; pinkie - loop. Apparently I'm a very loopy person.

[@3ckitani]

Left hand: Thumb - Loop; index - Loop; middle - Loop; ring - loop; pinkie - Loop Right hand: Thumb - Whorl; index - Whorl; middle - Loop; ring - Whorl; pinkie - Loop I don't have arches sadly ;(

[@WillaL26]

loops are most common, 65% people have them. Whorl is 2nd with 30%. arches are least common with only 5% of fingerprints having them. so it makes sense.

[@davidprock904]

All mine are loops, on my left hand they all angle/point the same way. And my right hand is like a mirror image, all of them are angle the other way, except for the one beside the little finger (wrong hands ring finger). It's angle is the same way as my left hand. I am left handed. Is anyone else the same?

[@TeslaMaster2]

I'd like to know what happens to your fingerprints when you hurt your finger(s). I myself touched a soldering iron when I was little, and had blisters on all 5 five fingers, or take something simpler like slicing your finger on the can opener. Does this in any way affect my fingerprints?

[@Lttlemoi]

They will regrow in exactly the same way as they were before.

[@gregistopal]

!

[@rhemorigher]

Lttlemoi But until they regrow - CRIME SPREE!

[@iota-09]

Lttlemoi i'm not entirely sure about that, when i was little(think 7 years old) i put my right middle finger inside a cigar-ltting device(don't know how they're caled in english, those things in cars anyway) and even now after 10-ish years, my fingerprint is visibly deformed in one point,looking more like a jacket's leather than a fingerprint.

[@Lttlemoi]

iota-09 It could be that there is some scar tissue under the skin, deforming the skin compared to what it should look like if you hadn't burned yourself. In my first reply, I assumed that the skin regrew nicely, which doesn't always happen.

[@dianaharb6467]

Most of July fingers have whorls and the others have the loop shape

[@aakashchaudhuri3864]

Why is it such that my hairs grow in different direction all over the body.....what determines the direction of my hair......even on the head ....they seem to spiralize from a point.....why is it so??

[@fila3818]

I didn't know that twins don't have the same fingerprints. Very interesting...

[@KatOfDiamonds]

Today I learned that I have 8 loops and 2 whorls. Good times!

[@seddonsmith8236]

My twin brother and I have similar enough finger prints that I can clock in for him using the finger scanner at work

[@Mcsticken]

And...? So you can exploit a poor quality scanner. It's unsurprising that of the billions of people on Earth, some people have similar fingerprints.

[@Tefans97]

I have loops on the left hand and my right pinky, but whorls on the remaining 4 fingers, how does that go with the genetic reasoning?

[@Morbidt123]

Q: How do beer goggles work?

[@rubinong]

Here's a QQ: Why does paper stay folded after you have made a crease? Why doesn't it just bend back and why does it leave a fold-line?

[@samherron1406]

What causes people to have blurred or near sided/ far sided vision?

[@pixx3461]

All of my fingers except for my index fingers are loops. My indexes are whorls.

[@Anopano3000]

I find it interesting how all my fingerprints are loops amd are mirrored (slanting to the left on my right hand and vice versa)... except for my left thumb which is a swirl. Fascinating, right?