April 8, 2001

12:33 PM

Within a year, one authority expects, a judge will declare fingerprint evidence unscientific.The Age of Genetics is upon us. I didn't know twins have identical DNA, but different fingerprints. And, for other reasons as well, fingerprinting will still be used. Just not the standard anymore.
posted by aflakete (4 comments total)

If twins have identical DNA and different fingerprints, how are fingerprints formed?
posted by bytecode at 4:09 PM on April 8, 2001

Even if they start out with identical fingerprints at birth (which I don't know to be the case or not) as you grow you end up scarring your fingers. Fall off the bike after your training wheels came off? You've probably got a really really small scar. Perhaps a ridge with a gap in it.

Since no two people will have identical scars, even twins, there'll be some differences in the fingerprints.
posted by cCranium at 8:40 PM on April 8, 2001

On twins & fingerprints
posted by gimli at 7:15 AM on April 9, 2001

only identical/monozygomatic twins have identical DNA. fraternal twins are only as genetically similar to each other as they would be to an older sibling born a decade earlier (assuming they share the same father and mother, of course).
posted by tolkhan at 10:16 AM on April 9, 2001