Born without fingerprints

Our fingerprints are one of the things that make us unique, individual, identifiable.  Yet some people, due to a genetic mutation (adermatoglyphia), are born without them.  The condition is so rare that only 4 families worldwide are known to have been affected.  Imagine applying for identification documentation or a settlement visa without fingerprints …

For an article on the social and legal implications of not having fingerprints, see this National Geographic article on the subject.

 

Posted on Tuesday, September 6th, 2011 at 10:35. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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