Friday, September 23, 2011

Missing Fingerprints

Every person has a unique set of fingerprints, right? Well, not exactly. Researchers have documented a rare condition called adermatoglyphia in some members of a Swiss family, in which the usual fingertip skin ridges and swirls responsible for fingerprints are missing. Aptly, it has been dubbed “immigration delay disease” by the researchers who discovered it, because it causes all kinds of questions and concerns when the affected person travels internationally. The condition is caused by a mutation in a single gene that is expressed only in the skin.

An abstract of the research article can be downloaded for free.

No comments: