Scientists Discover Genes that Make Your Fingerprints

 

    According to an article from U.S. News, scientists have discovered that human fingerprint patterns are linked with genes responsible for limb growth during fetal development. After looking at DNA from over 23,000 individuals, scientists found 43 genomic regions that are associated with fingerprint patterns. The region with the most influence is known as EVI1, and it plays a critical role in embryotic limb development. To test their findings, they restricted the expression of EVI1 in mice, and this resulted in the mice having abnormal patterns on their digits. 

   The article also talked about how previous studies had suggested that EVI1 is linked to leukemia risks, and that it was observed that people who were more susceptible to leukemia had more whorl patterns on their fingers. The researchers all agree that more investigation is needed to truly understand the relationship between fingerprints, genes, and diseases. 

    I found this study very fascinating because it had never occurred to me that fingerprints could be related to genetics. I also did not know that some fingerprint patterns are being associated with diseases like leukemia. I believe this will expand the use of the fingerprint long past simply identifying a person but being able to determine a better profile of a person based on their fingerprint patters.

    Related Article

Fingerprints and Science – Fingerprinting in the Modern World (rutgers.edu)

The family with no fingerprints

The microscopic grooves that swirl around our fingertips, formally known as dermatoglyphs, have become the world's most acquired biometric data throughout the decades. From getting through airports to voting and using our devices, we rely on these. According to the article, Apu, 22, currently resides in a village in Rajshahi's northern district. Until recently, he worked as a medical assistant. His grandfather and father were both farmers. The men in Apu's family appear to share a genetic abnormality that affects just a small number of families worldwide: they don't have fingerprints. Bangladesh adopted National ID cards for all adults in 2008, when Apu was still a child, and the database required a thumbprint. Employees were stumped as to how to send a card to Apu's father, Amal Sarker. Finally, he got a card with the words "NO FINGERPRINT" written on it. Adermatoglyphia is a rare disorder that is thought to affect the Sarker family. It was initially made public in 2007 when Peter Itin, a Swiss dermatologist, was contacted by a lady in her late twenties who was experiencing difficulty entering the United States. Although her face matched the photo on her passport, customs authorities were unable to obtain any fingerprints. She didn't have any because she didn't have any. In 2011, the researchers pinpointed SMARCAD1, a gene that was altered in all nine printless family members, as the cause of the unusual condition. At the time, very nothing was known about the gene. Apart from the affects on the hands, the mutation did not appear to create any other health problems. Unfortunately, the disease of immigration delay can afflict multiple generations of a family. Rather than adapting to suit the affected Sarkers, society appears to be becoming increasingly ungainly for them. Amal Sarker claimed he had a happy life for the most part, but he felt sorry for his children.