The inheritance of Fingerprint Patterns
Research Paper
Justin Glazman
Outline
1) Intro
A) Problem
i.
Are fingerprints inherited
B) Patterns
i.
Aches
ii.
Loops
iii.
Whorls
2) Body
A) What are fingerprints/formation
i.
Series of ridges
ii.
Found on
 fingers
 palms
 feet
iii.
Starts on week 10
iv.
Ends on week 15
v.
Volar pads
B) Fingerprint patterns
i.
Aches
 5%
 bridges/arch-like
 curve upward
 absorbed
ii.
Loops
 most common( ½ )
 loop-up
 lean
 somewhat absorbed
iii.
Whorls
 more than 1/3
 go around a central point
 not absorbed
iv.
Adermatoglyphia
 no fingerprints
 rare
v.
No pattern
 no exact pattern
vi.
Damaged patterns
 hard to perform
 rare
C) Genetics
i.
Thumb
 semi dominant gene for whorls
ii.
Ring finger
 semi dominant gene for whorls
 recessive gene for loops
iii.
Middle finger
 dominant gene for loops
iv.
Index finger
 dominant gene for loops
v.
Pinky finger
 recessive gene for loops
D) Twins and fingerprints
i.
Twins are similar
 looks
 size
 formation
 fingerprints
ii.
similar timing
 true
iii.
fingerprints exactly the same
 false
 shows randomness
Fingerprints are our imprints. These imprints are left everywhere we have touched. The
prints are permanent and can withstand more than a cut. There shapes are unique, yet we have
put them into three groups: arches, loops, and whorls. On one finger, one out of these three
patterns can be there. The question is whether or not the pattern is inherited or if it is random.
First, what is a fingerprint? A fingerprint is a series of ridges that create a pattern on our
finger and found on humans, apes, monkeys, gorillas, etc. You can also find other prints on your
feet and palms. Why you may ask. A tissue called volar pad causes fingerprints to form, yet they
can be found only on our fingers, palms, and feet. Our prints start to form when we are 10
weeks old till week 15. During week 10, volar pads, which are only located on the finger, palm,
and foot areas, stop growing. While the pads stop growing the finger keeps growing, and the
volar pads are pulled into the finger. Ridges start to appear between the times when the volar
pads start to get pulled in till it is fully absorbed. The timing of these first ridges is important.
Volar pads control overall alignment or pattern of the prints. How absorbed the pads are
determines much of the pattern. Much of the spacing and number of ridges are also controlled
by that. That is how most of a fingerprint is formed, yet all fingerprints are unique. A key link in
fingerprint formation is randomness. Randomness makes every print different. Without it most
likely many people would have the same fingerprints. Evidence that there is somewhat of
randomness come from twins which I will review later in this paper.
Patterns on our fingers form out onto one of three types: arches, loops, and whorls.
Although there are many subdivisions of each pattern I am only going through the three main
patterns. Beginning with arches, they are the most uncommon. They only count for 5% of
fingerprints. Lines or ridges go from one side of the finger to the other in a bridge-like or an
arch-like pattern. It will always curve upward, yet the curve decreases the further down the
fingerprint. This pattern will form if a volar pad is mostly absorbed while the ridges first appear.
More than half of fingerprints are loops making them the most common prints. They have a hill
or upside-down U shape. You could say it loops-up. They mostly lean to the left or right. When
the volar pads are somewhat absorbed this pattern will form. Whorls count for more than onethird of fingerprints. The ridges go around a central point although some ridges that are further
away from this point can branch off and flow differently. The location of this point varies. If the
pad has not been absorbed yet or the pad is a bit absorbed this pattern will form. Outside of
these three patterns there is a possibility that you could have no prints. Adermatoglyphia is the
name of this rare medical condition. Only four families have been found with such prints. You
could also have no pattern. People with a weird pattern are said to not have patterns. Such
examples like more than two central points or ridges going in all sorts of ways do not have
patterns although they could be mistaken for damaged prints. Prints that are damaged look like
normal patterns, yet usually with a plain line going through some place on the print. It takes a
person who continuously uses their hands to damage their prints making this print quite rare.
The genetics for each pattern on a finger were found in an experiment done by a few
people. According to their abstract the thumb has a semi dominant gene for whorls. The ring
finger has a semi dominant gene for whorls. The middle finger has a dominant gene for loops.
On both pinky and ring finger there is a recessive gene for loops. On the index finger there is a
dominant gene for loops. I obtained what I could out of their abstract, but some words were
mixed up.
As I said before, evidence about fingerprint formation comes from twins. Identical twins
are similar in many ways including fingerprints. Most likely twins are created very similar
because they are formed with the same genetics. This means that the timing when the ridges
first appear is exactly the same. That means that both of them should have the same exact
fingerprint, yet they do not. Why are they not exactly the same? A missing factor helps make
every fingerprint different. Randomness affects the fingerprint a little bit causing every
fingerprint to be different, otherwise everyone would have the same prints.
Works Cited
Langenburg, Glenn Are one’s fingerprints similar to those of his or her parents in any discernable way?
Scientific American January 24, 2005
Frenette, Julia Fingerprint patterns Clue November 19, 2011 <http//odec.ca/>
Bonniѐ-Tamir, B., M.B. Katznelson, H.M. Slatis The inheritance of fingerprint patterns PMC Journal List
November 19, 2011 <http//www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/>
Fierro,Pamela Twins and Fingerprints About.com November 13, 2011 <http//www.about.com>
What is a fingerprint Ridges and Furrows November 19, 2011
<http://ridgesandfurrows.homestead.com/index.html>