Are fingerprints really unique? Why?

Yes. Each person's fingerprints are unique and will remain so for the rest of his or her life.

Fingerprints are different because everyone is genetically different. However, the formation of fingerprints, although mainly influenced by genetics, but also environmental factors (5%), when the fetus in the mother's body development of three to four months, fingerprints have been formed, the fingerprints of children during the growth of the period of time will be slightly changed until puberty around 14 years of age will be stereotyped. During skin development, although the epidermis, the dermis, and the stroma are ****ing growing together, the soft subcutaneous tissue grows faster than the relatively hard epidermis.

Expanded

According to Singapore's Lianhe Zaobao newspaper reported, fingerprinting technology has made a major breakthrough, Dutch scientists found that by analyzing the proportion of chemicals contained in fingerprints, it can be deduced how long the fingerprints have existed.

Fingerprints are mainly composed of sweat, oil, cholesterol, amino acids and proteins. Dipuy, a fingerprint researcher at the Netherlands Forensic Institute, pointed out that some of these substances will gradually disappear over time, so as long as the proportion of chemicals inside the fingerprints is identified, it is possible to deduce how long the fingerprints have existed.

In addition, the identification process must also take into account the temperature at the location of the fingerprint, which affects the rate of degradation of the fingerprint chemicals. Forensic experts say that with this new technology, fingerprints left in the past day or two to 15 days can be accurately identified.

Scientists have tried to analyze the chemicals inside fingerprints in the past, but have failed by focusing on individual quantities rather than overall ratios. The next step, he said, is to apply the new technology to real crime scenes to build a database, and he hoped that within a year the technology would be accepted as evidence in court.

Baidu Encyclopedia - Fingerprints