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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)."

4 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 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.