What is the genetic reason for unique fingerprints?

[Koing]

Originally posted by: SaturnX

Originally posted by: SuperSix

Originally posted by: Francodman
Why does it have to have an advantage?

Froncod!!! How ya been?

Anyway.. I guess I could have worded it better.

Not necessarily an advantage, but what was evolutions reason for giving us unique fingerprints? In other words, why weren't they lost along with the other things we evolved out of? What is the usefullness of them that made us develop them?

It's along the same lines as why do men have nipples..

Men have nipples for the sole fact that when we are conceived, and as a fetus begin to grow, the testosterone (to define us as being male), doesn't kick it until a fair amount into the pregnancy, effectively making everyone start out female. The testosterone then takes over and thus men are still left with nipples, but due to the horomone, do not develop breasts later in life as women do.

Short answer, men have them because women have them.

--Mark

We have them because we all start out as female foetuses from our mothers. It is then the man's sperm that dictates if we'll be 'male'. Then the reasons stated above.

Koing

 

[oog]

uniqueness of fingerprints is nothing all that interesting. there are a lot of features of the human body that are unique. for instance, your gait can be identifying. your retinal pattern can be identifying. i bet that you could even say that the hair follicles on your head follow a pattern that is unique. what is interesting about fingerprints is that they're left at crime scenes and therefore can help identify who was there.

 

[MWink]

I'm pretty sure I heard in class that fingerprints form because of the way our hands/feet press against the womb before we're born.

 

[djheater]

Why Finger prints are unique is an interesting question, but ascribing it to evolutionsary advantage doesn't follow.

Evolution provides for a creature to reproduce better, that's it. It doesn't do anything else, it doesn't make necessarily better or stronger creatures, it's all about reproduction and AFTER you reproduce evolution is done with you.

There are lots of biological features that have NO evolutionary import, they just are.

 

[SuperSix]

Originally posted by: djheater
Why Finger prints are unique is an interesting question, but ascribing it to evolutionsary advantage doesn't follow.

Evolution provides for a creature to reproduce better, that's it. It doesn't do anything else, it doesn't make necessarily better or stronger creatures, it's all about reproduction and AFTER you reproduce evolution is done with you.

There are lots of biological features that have NO evolutionary import, they just are.

FTW!

Thanks all for the excellent posts..

And to think.. I started somewhat of an intelligent thread!

 

[moshquerade]

Originally posted by: SaturnX

Originally posted by: SuperSix

Originally posted by: Francodman
Why does it have to have an advantage?

Froncod!!! How ya been?

Anyway.. I guess I could have worded it better.

Not necessarily an advantage, but what was evolutions reason for giving us unique fingerprints? In other words, why weren't they lost along with the other things we evolved out of? What is the usefullness of them that made us develop them?

It's along the same lines as why do men have nipples..

Men have nipples for the sole fact that when we are conceived, and as a fetus begin to grow, the testosterone (to define us as being male), doesn't kick it until a fair amount into the pregnancy, effectively making everyone start out female. The testosterone then takes over and thus men are still left with nipples, but due to the horomone, do not develop breasts later in life as women do.

Short answer, men have them because women have them.

--Mark

so, in other words, every single person starts out as a female

 

[djheater]

Originally posted by: moshquerade

Originally posted by: SaturnX

Originally posted by: SuperSix

Originally posted by: Francodman
Why does it have to have an advantage?

Froncod!!! How ya been?

Anyway.. I guess I could have worded it better.

Not necessarily an advantage, but what was evolutions reason for giving us unique fingerprints? In other words, why weren't they lost along with the other things we evolved out of? What is the usefullness of them that made us develop them?

It's along the same lines as why do men have nipples..

Men have nipples for the sole fact that when we are conceived, and as a fetus begin to grow, the testosterone (to define us as being male), doesn't kick it until a fair amount into the pregnancy, effectively making everyone start out female. The testosterone then takes over and thus men are still left with nipples, but due to the horomone, do not develop breasts later in life as women do.

Short answer, men have them because women have them.

--Mark

so, in other words, every single person starts out as a female

No everyone starts out as undifferntiated. We all have the SAME parts, but a hormonal stew in momma's belly turns a clitoris into a penis or vice versa, or in some cases a little of both. It's not an exact science.

 

[morkman100]

Originally posted by: dighn

Originally posted by: tweakmm

Originally posted by: preslove
It ain't about advantage. Are snowflakes unique because of some evolutionary advantage? No.

Just wait another two hundred years for their evolutionary peak. Assuming we haven't killed ourselves out by then, I for one, welcome our new snowflake overloards.

LOL where is that line from anyway?

Simpsons, I think... where Homer goes to space. Kent Brockman sees the ants on the spaceship upclose and thinks they're gigantic space ants.

 

God wanted shows like CSI to be successful.

 

[illusion88]

The little grooves provide better friction then smooth skin?

 

[Smackem]

It is in our favor, genetically in the long run, to not develop a person that is an IDENTICAL copy of the parents. So, evolution can occur!


What if our finger print is a compalation of our parents?

edit: shoulda read 2nd page first.