Wednesday 16 January 2013

Deaver on fingerprints

The 3d swirls of fingerprints evolved not to help forensic scientists identify and convict criminals but simply to give our digits sure purchase, so that whatever we were holding that was precious or necessary or unrecognized wouldn't slip from our frail human grasp.

The official title of the patterns on the fingers (feet too) is, in fact, friction ridge, revealing their true purpose.

From - The Burning Wire, by Jeffery Deaver

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