Can fingerprint patterns be inherited?

Big Question Can fingerprint patterns be inherited through family members. I know that every person has there own fingerprint and that no one’s is the same but I wanted to see if family members could have like fingerprint patterns.

Hypothesis I do think that fingerprint patterns can be inherited through family members. It makes sense that fingerprint patterns could be inherited just like hair or eye color can.

Interesting facts The 3 basic types of fingerprint patterns are arch, loop, and whorl. Arch fingerprint patterns are found in about 5% of the fingerprints. Loops occur in about 60%-70% of the fingerprints. Whorls are seen in about 25%-35% of the fingerprints.

More Interesting Facts (Types of Fingerprints) Plain Arch Tented Arch Ulnar Loop Radial Loop Double Loop Whorl

Label each sheet of paper with a family member’s name. Materials 4 sheets of paper Ink pad My family Piece of paper and a pencil Magnifying glass Control I used the same ink and paper for each person. Variables The people/family that I used. Procedure Label each sheet of paper with a family member’s name. Split the sheet of paper into 10 equal sections. Label each section of paper with the name of a finger and the hand it is on. Have each member of my family press their finger onto a pad of ink. Each person will then press that same finger onto the piece of paper in the correct section. Repeat with the rest of the family and observe.

Data JD Nash (Dad) IndL: Whorl ThmbL: Radial Loop MdlL: Arch RingL: Whorl PnkL: Arch IndR: Arch ThmbR: Ulnar Loop MdlR: Arch RingR: Whorl PnkR: Radial Loop Lois Nash (Mom) IndL: Whorl ThmbL: Radial Loop MdlL: Whorl RingL: Whorl PnkL: Radial Loop IndR: Ulnar Loop ThmbR: Ulnar Loop MdlR: Arch RingR: Arch PnkR: Ulnar Loop

Data continued Madison IndL: Double Whorl ThmbL: Radial Loop MdlL: Whorl RngL: Whorl PnkL: Radial Loop IndR: Whorl ThmbR: Radial Loop MdlR: Ulnar Loop RingR: Ulnar Loop PinkR: Ulnar Loop Hunter IndL: Whorl ThmbL: Arch MdlL: Arch RingL: Whorl PnkL: Arch IndR: Whorl ThmbR: Ulnar Loop MdlR: Arch RingR: Whorl PinkR: Ulnar Loop

Analysis of Data 80% of Hunter’s fingerprint patterns were either the same as my mom’s or my dad’s. 70% of Madison’s (my) fingerprint patterns were the same as my dad’s or my mom’s. My data shows that fingerprint pattern’s can be inherited.

Conclusion My hypothesis was correct because based on my data, fingerprint patterns can be inherited. If I was to do this same experiment again I would use multiple families and more people from each family. I would get fingerprints from grandparents, aunts, and uncles. After performing my experiment I thought of more questions. Are fingerprint patterns more often found on certain fingers? Do identical twins have identical fingerprint patterns?

References www.fbi.gov www.policensw.com www.odec.com