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Why Some People Don't Have Fingerprints

Posted by Soulskill on from the are-they-diabolical-masterminds dept.

sciencehabit writes "A small number of people in the world don't have fingerprints. The condition is known as adermatoglyphia, and one scientist has dubbed it the 'immigration delay disease' because sufferers have such a hard time entering foreign countries. In addition to smooth fingertips, they also produce less hand sweat than the average person. Now researchers have identified the genetic mutation behind the condition (abstract)."

11 of 159 comments (clear)

  1. What countries? by zget · · Score: 4, Insightful

    What countries need fingerprints to enter? I've traveled in Asia and pretty much every shithole in earth and have never needed to give my fingerprint.

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    1. Re:What countries? by edjs · · Score: 2

      Japan and the US, though the US doesn't require it of visitors from certain nations.

    2. Re:What countries? by shadowrat · · Score: 5, Funny

      I'm from the US and i know when i first entered i had to provide my foot prints. I'm not sure if those are on file anywhere other than my mom's house though.

    3. Re:What countries? by kinkydiver · · Score: 2

      Perhaps if you stopped travelling in "shitholes" you would encounter this... This mostly happens to people entering the Land of the Free

      There is something wrong with the logic in this sentence. I just can't put my finger on it....

    4. Re:What countries? by zget · · Score: 2

      I went to Malaysia last year, didn't fingerprint from me at least.

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    5. Re:What countries? by Jaysyn · · Score: 2

      And she is a waste of skin, just like her brother.

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    6. Re:What countries? by Marillion · · Score: 2

      Brazil has a long standing tradition of matching visa fees and procedures of the US for US citizens. The idea being do unto your citizens what you do unto ours. So Brazil started fingerprinting US citizens the same time the US started fingerprinting Brazilian citizens.

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  2. Please, researchers by bythescruff · · Score: 2

    "Researchers have identified the genetic mutation behind the condition."

    Good. Can the rest of us have it now, please?

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  3. It's more complicated by dtmos · · Score: 3, Interesting

    It's more complicated than "someone has fingerprints or they don't." The testing method matters, too. The print some people leave with the traditional ink-and-paper is substantially different from the print they leave with direct-light fingerprint scanners, which is substantially different from the print they leave with 3D sidelight fingerprint scanners. And all of these, of course, vary in comparison to latent prints, which vary depending on a host of factors.

  4. Re:I don't have fingerprints. by indeterminator · · Score: 3, Informative

    In EU. The fingerprints are stored on an RFID chip. It's the only kind of passport you can get around here.

  5. Re:I don't have fingerprints. by JimBobJoe · · Score: 2

    The USA actually doesn't. They only require a biometric passport, and facial recognition is sufficient for that. Ireland, the UK, Australia, NZ, and a few others are in visa waiver and don't collect fingerprints for passport issuance.

    The fingerprint requirement is an EU requirement, and Ireland/UK used an opt-out.