A fingerprintjs is the distinct pattern of ridges and swirls on the pads of your fingers, palms, soles of your feet, and toes. It’s unique to each person, and it locks in during the 24 weeks of development in the womb. The ridges never change, even as you grow older. Because of this, fingerprints can be used to identify you and distinguish you from others.

The first popular use of fingerprints was in crime detection. Detectives collect and store them, then run them when they encounter a piece of evidence that might have been left by the perpetrator, such as a bloody thumb mark. They compare the prints with those in their database to find the right suspect.

What Is a Fingerprint in Cybersecurity and How Does It Work

Sir Francis Galton studied fingerprints as part of his work on eugenics. He believed that certain patterns corresponded to intelligence or race, but this has turned out not to be true. There is, however, some research suggesting that different kinds of fingerprints might indicate medical conditions such as diabetes.

The technology behind fingerprint sensors is complex. There are several methods, including optical capture with a digital camera, capacitive touch, and ultrasound. Optical scanners take an image of the ridge pattern as it touches the sensor, while capacitive sensors sense electric current and can recognize the location of the ridges and valleys. Ultrasound scanners send a sound pulse to the finger and record the reflected signal. It detects the differences in pressure caused by ridges and valleys, and can also read the direction and size of pores.