Why do we have them?

Unlike most of the body wrinkles formed by the bending and elasticity of the skin, fingerprints are not the result of repetitive actions. Each of us is born with a special fingerprint system, although scientists are not sure about the role of fingerprints.

One potential goal of fingerprints is that they improve our tactile ability. In a new study, scientists tested this view by doing many experiments with artificial fingers made from rubber-like sensors. They compared the sensitivity of grooved artificial fingers and soft leather-like material. From there they found that fingerprint fingers produced vibrations that were up to 100 times stronger than soft leather-like materials when sliding lightly on a rather rough surface.

According to a new study, fingerprint lines increase our ability to sense surface textures. (Photo: Wikimedia)

Researchers from the Ecole Normale Superieure school in Paris explained that this enhanced vibration has increased the ability of human touch, especially for the purpose of surface sensing. When rubbing your fingers on a textured surface, our fingerprints will amplify vibrations in an extremely favorable frequency range to stimulate Pacinian blood cells - these are nerve endings within the skin that help detect the texture. surface.In contrast, surface information helps us distinguish objects based on touch.

According to the results of the study, it is not only the new nervous system that plays a role in tactile calculation, but the natural characteristics of our bodies also enhance that computational ability when perceived.

However, the study does not explain why each person's fingerprint is unique or why our fingerprints are characterized in an elliptical vortex. Scientists believe that the closed shape helps to ensure that the grooves always touch the surface vertically even if the finger is in any direction. In addition, they also believe that this study can help improve tactile feedback for artificial hands.