![]() "Lasting Impression: How Fingerprints Are Created." LiveScience, Purch. These bacteria can be used as a type of fingerprint because of their uniqueness and their ability to remain unchanged for several weeks. Bacterial analysis could be a useful tool in forensic identification when human DNA or clear fingerprints can not be obtained. By genetically sequencing bacterial DNA, specific bacteria found on surfaces can be matched to the hands of the person from which they came. These bacteria are left behind on the items we touch. This is possible because bacteria that live on your skin and reside on your hands are unique, even among identical twins. Researchers from the University of Colorado at Boulder have shown that bacteria found on the skin can be used as personal identifiers. This illustrates the importance of thorough hand washing to remove bacteria and prevent the harmful effects of cross-contamination. When viewed under UV light the gel fluoresces to show areas that have not been adequately cleaned. The hands have had a gel applied to them and then been washed. ![]() Ultraviolet (UV) light showing bacteria on a persons hand. Evidence from the study also suggests that this particular gene may also be involved in the development of sweat glands. However, the factors underlying the formation and pattern of fingerprints during embryonic development are largely unknown." This study has shed some light on fingerprint development as it points to a specific gene that is involved in the regulation of fingerprint development. Eli Sprecher from Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center in Israel, "We know that fingerprints are fully formed by 24 weeks after fertilization and do not undergo any modification throughout life. The discovery was made while studying a Swiss family with members that exhibited adermatoglyphia.Īccording to Dr. Researchers have discovered a mutation in the gene SMARCAD1 that may be the cause for the development of this condition. The absence of fingerprints is caused by a rare genetic condition known as adermatoglyphia. Dermatoglyphia, from the Greek derma for skin and glyph for carving, are the ridges that appear on the fingertips, palms, toes, and soles of our feet.
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