1 00:00:03,840 --> 00:00:06,680 Speaker 1: Welcome to stuff to Blow your Mind from how Stuff 2 00:00:06,720 --> 00:00:13,800 Speaker 1: Works dot com. Hey, welcome to stuff to Blow your mind. 3 00:00:13,840 --> 00:00:16,640 Speaker 1: My name is Robert Lamb. My name is Julie Douglass. 4 00:00:16,760 --> 00:00:20,279 Speaker 1: Your fingerprints, right, most of us do, pretty much all 5 00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:22,119 Speaker 1: of us do unless something has come along to a 6 00:00:22,239 --> 00:00:24,479 Speaker 1: change that matter. But I don't think I really have 7 00:00:24,520 --> 00:00:27,640 Speaker 1: to explain what these are. You have these fingers, you're 8 00:00:27,760 --> 00:00:31,040 Speaker 1: blows right at the end of each one, you find 9 00:00:31,080 --> 00:00:37,200 Speaker 1: these curious designs, little trenches and whirls forms, this little pattern, 10 00:00:37,440 --> 00:00:40,640 Speaker 1: and uh, from a very early age, we all know 11 00:00:40,760 --> 00:00:44,320 Speaker 1: that these signify who we are. Right, put it in 12 00:00:44,320 --> 00:00:47,199 Speaker 1: an ink, put it on a page. There's your fingerprint. 13 00:00:47,320 --> 00:00:49,360 Speaker 1: It's a part of like kindergarten art classes. You know, 14 00:00:49,440 --> 00:00:53,000 Speaker 1: you make a turkey with your hand. That turkey is 15 00:00:53,040 --> 00:00:55,480 Speaker 1: a is a blueprint of who were, not real blueprint, 16 00:00:55,520 --> 00:00:57,840 Speaker 1: but it is a signature of who you are. No 17 00:00:57,920 --> 00:01:02,240 Speaker 1: one's Thanksgiving handpay turkey is the same as another individual's 18 00:01:03,320 --> 00:01:06,680 Speaker 1: Thanksgiving hand paint turkey. They're unique and really they should 19 00:01:06,680 --> 00:01:08,959 Speaker 1: be what we should use, in my opinion, as signatures 20 00:01:08,959 --> 00:01:11,880 Speaker 1: on all official documents. You think, yeah, it's you know, 21 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:14,959 Speaker 1: just with the turkey design is in specific Yes, yeah, 22 00:01:15,040 --> 00:01:19,000 Speaker 1: like Kofe anon Um, Barack Obama, Vladimir Putin, I don't 23 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:21,400 Speaker 1: care who they make an official document. At the bottom 24 00:01:21,400 --> 00:01:24,520 Speaker 1: of it, they've put their hand down with paint and 25 00:01:24,520 --> 00:01:28,480 Speaker 1: then trace around it and then make a Thanksgiving turkey. Well, 26 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:30,839 Speaker 1: and of course you're bringing this up because it's thought 27 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:35,520 Speaker 1: that the fingerprint is unique to this unique biometric that 28 00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:38,800 Speaker 1: we've got, nobody else has it. And uh, that's one 29 00:01:38,840 --> 00:01:40,560 Speaker 1: of the things we're gonna get in today, that the 30 00:01:40,600 --> 00:01:43,800 Speaker 1: fingerprint as an identification tool. And we were generally that's 31 00:01:43,800 --> 00:01:45,720 Speaker 1: where our minds go when you talk about fingerprints. You 32 00:01:45,760 --> 00:01:47,920 Speaker 1: think of C. S I and all this stuff, and 33 00:01:48,080 --> 00:01:50,440 Speaker 1: they know their prints left here, Prince left there, and 34 00:01:50,520 --> 00:01:52,680 Speaker 1: those prints that the police are supposedly going to collect 35 00:01:52,760 --> 00:01:55,720 Speaker 1: and solve a crime with. But we often overlook the 36 00:01:55,800 --> 00:01:57,840 Speaker 1: underlying question why do we have them? To begin with? 37 00:01:57,920 --> 00:02:00,160 Speaker 1: What are they right? And we're going to discuss at 38 00:02:00,160 --> 00:02:04,760 Speaker 1: as well fingerprints the why of fingerprints from various standpoints. 39 00:02:04,760 --> 00:02:08,200 Speaker 1: That's the episode today. Well, here's the deal. Many mammals 40 00:02:08,280 --> 00:02:10,320 Speaker 1: have them, but humans are the only ones to have 41 00:02:10,440 --> 00:02:17,280 Speaker 1: really complex patterning. And there's a general flow to fingerprints, UM, 42 00:02:17,400 --> 00:02:20,680 Speaker 1: especially to what we call the ridges that translate into 43 00:02:20,760 --> 00:02:24,680 Speaker 1: one of three major pattern types. So we're talking about 44 00:02:24,680 --> 00:02:29,040 Speaker 1: a whirl, a loop, or an arch. And it's possible 45 00:02:29,080 --> 00:02:31,880 Speaker 1: to have just one, two, or all three pattern types 46 00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:36,080 Speaker 1: among your ten fingers. And here's a little tidbit about 47 00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:40,520 Speaker 1: that six of the world's population has loops, five percent, 48 00:02:40,600 --> 00:02:43,919 Speaker 1: only five percent of the world world's population has arches, 49 00:02:44,280 --> 00:02:49,359 Speaker 1: and thirty five percent of the world's population has whorls. Yes, 50 00:02:49,400 --> 00:02:50,920 Speaker 1: and I can tell you that I've already detected a 51 00:02:50,919 --> 00:02:54,680 Speaker 1: couple of whorls on my fingertips. But why why do 52 00:02:54,760 --> 00:02:58,240 Speaker 1: we have these fingerprints? Well, one theory why why, Robert, 53 00:02:58,360 --> 00:03:00,720 Speaker 1: why are we cursed with these things? Well when one 54 00:03:00,880 --> 00:03:03,919 Speaker 1: reason that is often brought up and theorized about, uh, 55 00:03:03,960 --> 00:03:05,760 Speaker 1: and certainly it makes it seems to make a lot 56 00:03:05,800 --> 00:03:08,080 Speaker 1: of sense on the surface of things, is that we 57 00:03:08,200 --> 00:03:10,919 Speaker 1: use them for grip. It's like, because you look at it, 58 00:03:10,919 --> 00:03:13,560 Speaker 1: it's like it's like you got some ridges there, and 59 00:03:13,840 --> 00:03:16,840 Speaker 1: I think of like gloves that are made for gripping things, 60 00:03:16,840 --> 00:03:18,720 Speaker 1: and they tend to have some sort of a ridgid 61 00:03:18,919 --> 00:03:22,840 Speaker 1: ridge ridge based surface there, weightlifting gloves, weight lifting gloves, 62 00:03:22,919 --> 00:03:25,680 Speaker 1: things like that. So maybe we have them to lift them. 63 00:03:25,720 --> 00:03:27,960 Speaker 1: Maybe it's so that if we're picking up a glass 64 00:03:28,000 --> 00:03:31,120 Speaker 1: of milk or swinging a battle axe, whatever you need 65 00:03:31,160 --> 00:03:34,360 Speaker 1: to grip the groove. Prints improve the friction rate between 66 00:03:34,400 --> 00:03:38,920 Speaker 1: finger and object. But not so, according to a team 67 00:03:38,920 --> 00:03:42,720 Speaker 1: of researchers at the University of Manchester, they looked into 68 00:03:42,760 --> 00:03:44,080 Speaker 1: this make on the whole idea is just a bunch 69 00:03:44,080 --> 00:03:46,880 Speaker 1: of hooey. There's a two thousand nine study Journal of 70 00:03:46,920 --> 00:03:50,800 Speaker 1: Experimental Biology, and the menu team measured the friction rate 71 00:03:50,800 --> 00:03:53,720 Speaker 1: between flesh and objects can discovered only a marginal increase. 72 00:03:54,040 --> 00:03:57,840 Speaker 1: They also discovered that printed finger pads actually come into 73 00:03:57,880 --> 00:04:02,040 Speaker 1: contact with an acriolic class already three less than completely 74 00:04:02,080 --> 00:04:05,080 Speaker 1: smooth finger pads, and in some cases the prints actually 75 00:04:05,120 --> 00:04:09,640 Speaker 1: reduce our grip rather than improve it. Okay, so that 76 00:04:09,760 --> 00:04:12,720 Speaker 1: is out. We don't eat them for grip. Yeah, okay, 77 00:04:12,800 --> 00:04:16,280 Speaker 1: So there are a couple other theories um in play here, 78 00:04:16,720 --> 00:04:19,680 Speaker 1: and maybe that they allow our skin to stretch and 79 00:04:19,720 --> 00:04:22,599 Speaker 1: to form more easily, protecting it from damage. Yeah. The 80 00:04:22,720 --> 00:04:25,440 Speaker 1: idea here. I like to think of men's slacks, like, 81 00:04:25,800 --> 00:04:27,880 Speaker 1: what are the least style of slacks a guy can wear? 82 00:04:28,320 --> 00:04:31,840 Speaker 1: Big balloon Khaki's right it's like a big balloon crotch 83 00:04:31,920 --> 00:04:35,000 Speaker 1: that anytime you sit down it looks like, um, some 84 00:04:35,080 --> 00:04:38,120 Speaker 1: sort of like automobile protection device has gone off in 85 00:04:38,120 --> 00:04:42,120 Speaker 1: your pants. Yes, it is. That's balloon balloon crotch in 86 00:04:42,160 --> 00:04:44,680 Speaker 1: khaki pants. And I used to have to wear khaki 87 00:04:44,680 --> 00:04:47,480 Speaker 1: pants to my job at a newspaper, and so that 88 00:04:47,720 --> 00:04:50,080 Speaker 1: I was always having to deal with that, and it's awful. 89 00:04:50,320 --> 00:04:52,560 Speaker 1: But I'm pretty if your pants are that baggy, you're 90 00:04:52,560 --> 00:04:55,560 Speaker 1: pretty much guaranteed not to rip them, right, It's kind 91 00:04:55,600 --> 00:04:57,599 Speaker 1: of like yoga pants or hammer pants. There's a lot 92 00:04:57,640 --> 00:04:59,560 Speaker 1: of room to move around, you're not gonna rip them. 93 00:04:59,600 --> 00:05:02,680 Speaker 1: But if you're wearing say some nice stylish skinny jeans, 94 00:05:02,720 --> 00:05:05,919 Speaker 1: some like really narrow drain pipes, and you try and 95 00:05:05,960 --> 00:05:08,159 Speaker 1: do anything, Heaven forbid, you try and do the splits, 96 00:05:08,279 --> 00:05:10,440 Speaker 1: or even bend over and pick something up, you're gonna 97 00:05:10,480 --> 00:05:13,800 Speaker 1: tear something. Hopefully you'll tear the pants. But but I 98 00:05:13,880 --> 00:05:15,359 Speaker 1: like to think then of this theory is that the 99 00:05:15,400 --> 00:05:19,240 Speaker 1: fingerprints are rigid. Fingerprints are kind of the uh, the 100 00:05:19,320 --> 00:05:22,760 Speaker 1: balloon pants, the hammer pants of skin. Okay, so those 101 00:05:22,839 --> 00:05:25,159 Speaker 1: ridges are kind of like the hammer pants, and that 102 00:05:25,240 --> 00:05:28,920 Speaker 1: they could expand and deform onun will if they need. 103 00:05:29,120 --> 00:05:33,119 Speaker 1: There's also this idea that fingerprints may allow water trap 104 00:05:33,200 --> 00:05:35,760 Speaker 1: between our finger pads and the surface to drain away 105 00:05:35,800 --> 00:05:40,599 Speaker 1: and improve surface contact in wet conditions. Kind of makes sense, right, 106 00:05:41,400 --> 00:05:43,960 Speaker 1: Other researchers have suggested that the ridges could increase our 107 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:47,960 Speaker 1: finger pads touch sensitivity. Yeah, that's a really cool one. Uh. 108 00:05:47,960 --> 00:05:49,760 Speaker 1: And this is the the idea that when you're you're 109 00:05:49,800 --> 00:05:52,920 Speaker 1: feeling particularly fine features, such as a single human hair 110 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:55,680 Speaker 1: on a desktop, your sense of touch depends on skin 111 00:05:55,800 --> 00:05:59,200 Speaker 1: vibrations that arise as your fingertip moves across the desk. 112 00:05:59,720 --> 00:06:01,680 Speaker 1: So when two thousand nine, a team of French researchers 113 00:06:01,720 --> 00:06:04,400 Speaker 1: looked into this, and they found that a rigid fingertip 114 00:06:04,440 --> 00:06:08,280 Speaker 1: moving across the surface produces vibration frequencies that are detected 115 00:06:08,279 --> 00:06:12,480 Speaker 1: by special nerve endings called Bassinian corpuscles, and these nerve 116 00:06:12,600 --> 00:06:15,440 Speaker 1: endings then passed this information onto sensory neurons that signal 117 00:06:15,520 --> 00:06:18,520 Speaker 1: the brain. So the idea here is those without those ridges, 118 00:06:18,560 --> 00:06:21,520 Speaker 1: if you burn them off with battery acids so that 119 00:06:21,600 --> 00:06:24,760 Speaker 1: you can commend more crimes or what have you, you 120 00:06:24,760 --> 00:06:27,560 Speaker 1: would not be able to feel as as as easily 121 00:06:27,600 --> 00:06:29,960 Speaker 1: you would not be able to feel those tiny fine 122 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:33,760 Speaker 1: details and things, which is really cool. Yeah, so here's 123 00:06:33,760 --> 00:06:37,040 Speaker 1: this idea. Can you be born without them? Here's this question? 124 00:06:39,000 --> 00:06:43,600 Speaker 1: You can? You can? You really well do explain. This 125 00:06:43,720 --> 00:06:46,760 Speaker 1: was discovered when a twenty nine year old Swiss woman 126 00:06:46,839 --> 00:06:48,680 Speaker 1: of the U. S Border was made to wait for 127 00:06:48,839 --> 00:06:52,880 Speaker 1: hours as puzzled officers tried to make sense of her 128 00:06:52,920 --> 00:06:56,720 Speaker 1: missing prints, and as a result, this has been dubbed 129 00:06:56,960 --> 00:07:00,560 Speaker 1: the immigration delay disease. I kuld you not really. It's 130 00:07:00,720 --> 00:07:02,880 Speaker 1: very very rare and has only been documented in four 131 00:07:02,880 --> 00:07:06,760 Speaker 1: families across the world. So they had no prints. They 132 00:07:06,760 --> 00:07:10,000 Speaker 1: had no prints. Yeah, so you could argue they had 133 00:07:10,040 --> 00:07:13,520 Speaker 1: identical prints then since that the prints that they had 134 00:07:13,520 --> 00:07:18,200 Speaker 1: were non existent. Question. Yeah, I was gonna say, it's 135 00:07:18,200 --> 00:07:21,920 Speaker 1: maybe a different question. But genetically it is able. It's 136 00:07:21,960 --> 00:07:25,840 Speaker 1: possible for you to be born without prints. Again, very rare, 137 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:29,560 Speaker 1: and I think that the calling it a disease is 138 00:07:29,600 --> 00:07:32,520 Speaker 1: even kind of a bit specious because it's like, well, 139 00:07:32,720 --> 00:07:35,720 Speaker 1: you know what, what was the problem other than not 140 00:07:35,840 --> 00:07:39,640 Speaker 1: having maybe you can't feel very fine surfaces. Well, see 141 00:07:39,640 --> 00:07:41,960 Speaker 1: that's that's the only thing they say. Typically, the pores 142 00:07:42,000 --> 00:07:44,360 Speaker 1: of sweat glands lie along the tiny ridges that make 143 00:07:44,440 --> 00:07:47,000 Speaker 1: up our fingerprints. So for people with this mutation, the 144 00:07:47,080 --> 00:07:52,280 Speaker 1: ridges don't even form to begin with interfering with sweat glands, okay, 145 00:07:52,280 --> 00:07:55,280 Speaker 1: and as a result people actually they sweat less on 146 00:07:55,320 --> 00:07:58,760 Speaker 1: their hands, so the body makes up for it. Now 147 00:08:00,040 --> 00:08:02,360 Speaker 1: you can get rid of them, your fingerprints, if you've 148 00:08:02,400 --> 00:08:05,480 Speaker 1: ever wondered um that some people have gone to some 149 00:08:05,560 --> 00:08:09,920 Speaker 1: crazy links to do so, but repeat exposure to some 150 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:13,040 Speaker 1: chemicals can can remove them or modify them as well 151 00:08:13,040 --> 00:08:15,960 Speaker 1: as callouses. So if you're doing a certain type of work, 152 00:08:16,000 --> 00:08:19,560 Speaker 1: you could actually have your fingerprints pretty much smear to nothing, 153 00:08:19,920 --> 00:08:22,640 Speaker 1: or the traditional method in crime family just to let 154 00:08:22,640 --> 00:08:25,280 Speaker 1: a turtle chew them off. You put a little you 155 00:08:25,320 --> 00:08:27,640 Speaker 1: smear a little meat paste on each on each of 156 00:08:27,680 --> 00:08:31,960 Speaker 1: your fingerprints, preferably a baby box turtle or a pack 157 00:08:32,080 --> 00:08:33,880 Speaker 1: of them, and then you let them chew on the 158 00:08:33,920 --> 00:08:36,160 Speaker 1: fingertips until you're satisfied, and then you get to get 159 00:08:36,400 --> 00:08:41,359 Speaker 1: This is the Paliocci crime family method. Yeah, well, okay. 160 00:08:41,800 --> 00:08:46,160 Speaker 1: In the nineties, kidnapper Theodore Handsome Jack Clutus took a 161 00:08:46,240 --> 00:08:50,240 Speaker 1: knife to his fingerprints, and that was the first documented 162 00:08:50,280 --> 00:08:54,360 Speaker 1: case of finger mutilation. And then the notorious bank robber 163 00:08:54,640 --> 00:08:57,720 Speaker 1: John Dillinger dipped his fingers in acid. Obviously that's the 164 00:08:58,160 --> 00:09:00,839 Speaker 1: somehow that sound like a in wins at that one, 165 00:09:00,920 --> 00:09:05,160 Speaker 1: like with the slicing, but are actually pretty terrible, right, 166 00:09:05,240 --> 00:09:07,840 Speaker 1: But somehow the burning of the prints off seems not 167 00:09:08,080 --> 00:09:11,920 Speaker 1: so crazy, but surely it hurts. Well. I guess the 168 00:09:11,920 --> 00:09:14,280 Speaker 1: thing is we can relate. Everyone has cut their fingers, 169 00:09:14,360 --> 00:09:15,800 Speaker 1: or most of us, I feel like they've cut their 170 00:09:15,800 --> 00:09:18,360 Speaker 1: their fingers one there, like peeling potatoes or something, so 171 00:09:18,440 --> 00:09:21,160 Speaker 1: we have a frame of reference for that, whereas being 172 00:09:21,200 --> 00:09:24,640 Speaker 1: scalded by battery acid and maybe not so much. I 173 00:09:24,679 --> 00:09:27,400 Speaker 1: just feel like if you're going to cut the fingerprints 174 00:09:27,400 --> 00:09:30,640 Speaker 1: off of your hands, that you're already bringing more attention 175 00:09:30,679 --> 00:09:32,920 Speaker 1: to your fingers anyway. So we were like, hey, why 176 00:09:32,960 --> 00:09:36,640 Speaker 1: why why do you have cut fingertips? Oh? I don't know, 177 00:09:36,720 --> 00:09:39,320 Speaker 1: no reason. And then you know, of course in that 178 00:09:39,400 --> 00:09:41,000 Speaker 1: day and age are probably like, that's the dude with 179 00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:44,439 Speaker 1: the strange missing fingertips. Do you think something's up with him? Yeah? 180 00:09:44,480 --> 00:09:46,880 Speaker 1: I don't know. It just any kind of self inflicted flame, 181 00:09:47,360 --> 00:09:50,079 Speaker 1: whatever your purpose, it's just weird. I'm just saying it's 182 00:09:50,120 --> 00:09:51,800 Speaker 1: not subtle. I did just think it was a bad 183 00:09:51,840 --> 00:09:55,360 Speaker 1: way to go, all right, So how do finger prints 184 00:09:55,400 --> 00:09:58,560 Speaker 1: form in the first place. Well, it's it's it's interesting 185 00:09:58,600 --> 00:10:02,120 Speaker 1: because it's not something we are, it's not in our genes. 186 00:10:02,200 --> 00:10:05,320 Speaker 1: It's not necessarily genetic thing really going on here. This 187 00:10:05,400 --> 00:10:08,800 Speaker 1: is something that forms in the womb. And what happens is, uh, 188 00:10:09,160 --> 00:10:14,200 Speaker 1: the outer epidermist and the inner subcutaneous tissue sandwich the 189 00:10:14,240 --> 00:10:17,000 Speaker 1: dermal cell layer between them, like a slice of cheese 190 00:10:17,040 --> 00:10:20,240 Speaker 1: between two slabs of bread, and as the pressure builds, 191 00:10:20,320 --> 00:10:24,160 Speaker 1: the slice of cheese again, that's the dermal cell layer 192 00:10:24,280 --> 00:10:30,080 Speaker 1: compresses in buckles, erupting into random surface patterns. I love that. Yeah, yeah, 193 00:10:30,160 --> 00:10:31,920 Speaker 1: And I wanted to give some more detail on that too, 194 00:10:31,920 --> 00:10:35,959 Speaker 1: because some of how that's done actually influences the pattern 195 00:10:36,040 --> 00:10:39,800 Speaker 1: that you get. Um, we have these friction ridge skin 196 00:10:39,960 --> 00:10:43,599 Speaker 1: covering the surface of our hands, and that's what comprises 197 00:10:43,640 --> 00:10:45,560 Speaker 1: the ridges and the furrows. So, as you say, in 198 00:10:45,559 --> 00:10:48,480 Speaker 1: those um, during those weeks I think it's ten through 199 00:10:48,520 --> 00:10:53,439 Speaker 1: fifteen weeks, the fetus develops smooth vallor pads. These are 200 00:10:53,520 --> 00:10:56,360 Speaker 1: raised pads, and the fingers, poems and feet because of 201 00:10:56,480 --> 00:10:59,560 Speaker 1: swelling mess and kimmeled tissue, which is a precursor for 202 00:10:59,600 --> 00:11:02,679 Speaker 1: blood usseles and connective tissues. And then around week ten, 203 00:11:02,800 --> 00:11:05,600 Speaker 1: the volor pads stop growing, but the hand continues to grow, 204 00:11:05,640 --> 00:11:07,720 Speaker 1: and then as a result, over the next few weeks, 205 00:11:07,720 --> 00:11:09,840 Speaker 1: the volor pad is absorbed back into the hand. This 206 00:11:09,880 --> 00:11:13,400 Speaker 1: is what you're talking about, um. During this stage, the 207 00:11:13,400 --> 00:11:15,880 Speaker 1: first signs of the ridges begin to appear, and the 208 00:11:15,960 --> 00:11:20,000 Speaker 1: spacing and arrangement of these early ridges is a random process, 209 00:11:20,040 --> 00:11:23,360 Speaker 1: but it's dictated by the overall geometry and the topography 210 00:11:23,440 --> 00:11:26,400 Speaker 1: of the volar pad. So if the ridges appear while 211 00:11:26,440 --> 00:11:29,760 Speaker 1: the volar pad is still uh quite pronounced, and the 212 00:11:29,800 --> 00:11:34,080 Speaker 1: individual will develop a world pattern. And then if the 213 00:11:34,120 --> 00:11:36,840 Speaker 1: primary ridges appear while the volar pad is less pronounced 214 00:11:36,840 --> 00:11:40,720 Speaker 1: than the person will get a loop pattern on their fingers. 215 00:11:40,840 --> 00:11:44,360 Speaker 1: And then if finally in the if the primary ridges 216 00:11:44,400 --> 00:11:47,640 Speaker 1: appear while the volor pad is nearly absorbed, then the 217 00:11:47,679 --> 00:11:50,840 Speaker 1: individual will develop an arch pattern. And I love how 218 00:11:50,840 --> 00:11:52,959 Speaker 1: they talk about it is topography because it really does 219 00:11:53,040 --> 00:11:57,720 Speaker 1: kind of remind me of the only the Earth's own 220 00:11:57,800 --> 00:12:01,960 Speaker 1: surface and the various elements going on to create causes 221 00:12:02,320 --> 00:12:06,240 Speaker 1: mountains to rise and valleys to deepen. Yeah, yeah, and 222 00:12:06,280 --> 00:12:07,880 Speaker 1: this is going on in the womb. It's so cool. 223 00:12:08,440 --> 00:12:13,439 Speaker 1: So could one Olsen twin frame the other for murder? No? No, 224 00:12:14,040 --> 00:12:21,079 Speaker 1: no fingerprints No, because even the Olsen twins, as identical 225 00:12:21,160 --> 00:12:24,920 Speaker 1: as they are, they do not have the same fingertip patterns. Now, 226 00:12:25,040 --> 00:12:28,200 Speaker 1: they may have similar patterns because the patterns that you 227 00:12:28,240 --> 00:12:31,840 Speaker 1: do get are genetic, but they will have a unique 228 00:12:31,880 --> 00:12:34,439 Speaker 1: marker in theirs. So it's kind of like if one 229 00:12:34,440 --> 00:12:37,640 Speaker 1: twin were slapped in the face by the same person 230 00:12:38,240 --> 00:12:40,480 Speaker 1: in the exact same way, they still wouldn't get the 231 00:12:40,559 --> 00:12:44,800 Speaker 1: exact same bruise on their face, necessarily because it's something 232 00:12:44,800 --> 00:12:47,520 Speaker 1: that's being done to the twin rather than something that's 233 00:12:47,600 --> 00:12:52,120 Speaker 1: purely emerging from their genetics. That's right, Yes, all right, 234 00:12:52,160 --> 00:12:54,360 Speaker 1: We're gonna take a quick break, and when we return, 235 00:12:54,440 --> 00:12:58,080 Speaker 1: we will get into this idea of fingerprints is identification. 236 00:12:58,280 --> 00:13:00,480 Speaker 1: To what extent is this a fabulous the idea to 237 00:13:00,520 --> 00:13:12,319 Speaker 1: what extent is that deeply flawed? All right, we're back 238 00:13:12,679 --> 00:13:15,880 Speaker 1: before we start talking about how unique fingerprints are and 239 00:13:16,160 --> 00:13:18,800 Speaker 1: bringing that into question. You know, I didn't want to 240 00:13:18,840 --> 00:13:24,400 Speaker 1: mention that ridge characteristics may indicate genetic predisposition of certain diseases, 241 00:13:24,960 --> 00:13:28,240 Speaker 1: and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention actually performed 242 00:13:28,360 --> 00:13:31,600 Speaker 1: research in two thousand and five that investigated these rich 243 00:13:31,720 --> 00:13:36,439 Speaker 1: characteristics as a genetic roadmap for the predisposition of certain diseases. 244 00:13:36,800 --> 00:13:40,280 Speaker 1: In particular, people with diabetes found UH. They found actually 245 00:13:40,360 --> 00:13:44,040 Speaker 1: that these people have a much higher ridge count than 246 00:13:44,080 --> 00:13:47,640 Speaker 1: those with normal glucose tolerance. So it's kind of interesting 247 00:13:47,720 --> 00:13:52,199 Speaker 1: that that they actually do tell us something just nonsense 248 00:13:52,280 --> 00:13:55,120 Speaker 1: that happens. It's not like a nonsense password that doesn't 249 00:13:55,160 --> 00:13:58,040 Speaker 1: mean anything in and of itself, but is unique well, 250 00:13:58,080 --> 00:14:00,440 Speaker 1: and I kind of think of palm ream reading in 251 00:14:00,440 --> 00:14:04,520 Speaker 1: this Sensemancy, if you want to get fancy well truromancy, 252 00:14:04,600 --> 00:14:07,480 Speaker 1: it is uh, and that you could be able to 253 00:14:07,480 --> 00:14:12,240 Speaker 1: tell something about yourself through these fingerprint patterns. So the 254 00:14:12,320 --> 00:14:14,959 Speaker 1: idea that a fingerprint is unique and could be used 255 00:14:15,000 --> 00:14:16,839 Speaker 1: as a biometric, They could be used as something on 256 00:14:16,880 --> 00:14:20,760 Speaker 1: our body that identifies who we are. The idea itself, 257 00:14:21,080 --> 00:14:24,720 Speaker 1: you find this an ancient Japanese and Chinese civilization. They 258 00:14:24,760 --> 00:14:27,800 Speaker 1: recognized pretty early on that this is something that's unique 259 00:14:27,840 --> 00:14:30,120 Speaker 1: and we can use this essentially to put our signature 260 00:14:30,120 --> 00:14:33,120 Speaker 1: on things. But for the most part, in the modern world, 261 00:14:33,200 --> 00:14:35,880 Speaker 1: especially in the Western world. It goes back to Sir 262 00:14:35,960 --> 00:14:39,280 Speaker 1: Francis Galton nineteenth century. Polly Math is one of these 263 00:14:39,320 --> 00:14:40,960 Speaker 1: guys by poly math of corpse of meaning. He was 264 00:14:41,000 --> 00:14:45,400 Speaker 1: into everything. He was just a learned man who love 265 00:14:45,480 --> 00:14:48,600 Speaker 1: to experiment, love to read about things, research things, and 266 00:14:48,600 --> 00:14:51,520 Speaker 1: figure out how the world worked. And uh, you know 267 00:14:51,560 --> 00:14:54,520 Speaker 1: it wasn't necessarily a specialist in any particular field, but 268 00:14:54,640 --> 00:14:57,760 Speaker 1: just was ready to just go all in on whatever 269 00:14:57,800 --> 00:15:00,720 Speaker 1: he was studying. And he was also the cousin of 270 00:15:00,840 --> 00:15:03,840 Speaker 1: Charles Darwin. Incidentally ran in the family. Yeah, ran in 271 00:15:03,840 --> 00:15:06,720 Speaker 1: the family. I guess the brilliance and all. But he's 272 00:15:06,760 --> 00:15:10,440 Speaker 1: the one who really pushed this idea that fingerprints are 273 00:15:10,840 --> 00:15:14,000 Speaker 1: such a unique identifier and then they're a great biometric 274 00:15:14,360 --> 00:15:18,040 Speaker 1: and that the idea of two individuals possessing the same 275 00:15:18,080 --> 00:15:22,840 Speaker 1: fingerprint were so slim that it was virtually flawless. I 276 00:15:22,840 --> 00:15:24,640 Speaker 1: believe he said that the chances of two people and 277 00:15:24,680 --> 00:15:27,000 Speaker 1: this was this was his math. Uh, the chances of 278 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:30,800 Speaker 1: two people possessing a matching fingerprint were one in sixty billion, 279 00:15:32,000 --> 00:15:36,240 Speaker 1: which back then would have seemed pretty reasonable, right in 280 00:15:36,360 --> 00:15:39,760 Speaker 1: terms of the chances of someone else possessing the same fingertips, 281 00:15:39,800 --> 00:15:41,960 Speaker 1: and so that was a good case to try to 282 00:15:42,080 --> 00:15:45,880 Speaker 1: use this as a biometric right, but what does that 283 00:15:46,000 --> 00:15:48,440 Speaker 1: mean today? Like, just just on on the math level, 284 00:15:48,480 --> 00:15:52,120 Speaker 1: it's interesting. There's a guy. There's a fingerprinting expert, Professor 285 00:15:52,280 --> 00:15:55,480 Speaker 1: Edward im Winkle Reed, which is a great last name. 286 00:15:55,640 --> 00:15:58,160 Speaker 1: My own science editor Alison louder Milk, who also has 287 00:15:58,200 --> 00:16:01,840 Speaker 1: a great last name, she kept emailing me back responding 288 00:16:01,880 --> 00:16:03,400 Speaker 1: about this guy's name. She's like, oh my god, this 289 00:16:03,480 --> 00:16:06,320 Speaker 1: is the greatest name I've ever heard, because it's there's 290 00:16:06,320 --> 00:16:09,720 Speaker 1: a little it sounds like he should be abducted by 291 00:16:09,920 --> 00:16:12,440 Speaker 1: by little people. There's a little bit of rumple still say, 292 00:16:12,480 --> 00:16:14,520 Speaker 1: it sounds a bit of a children's story name. Yeah, 293 00:16:14,760 --> 00:16:17,920 Speaker 1: but as much as we we love his last name, 294 00:16:18,160 --> 00:16:21,520 Speaker 1: uh in Winkle Read is a fingerprinting expert, and he 295 00:16:21,680 --> 00:16:25,000 Speaker 1: argues that since world population now exceeds six point four 296 00:16:25,040 --> 00:16:29,040 Speaker 1: billion and most of us possess ten digits, we have 297 00:16:29,160 --> 00:16:31,400 Speaker 1: more than sixty four billion prints out there to bump 298 00:16:31,440 --> 00:16:36,040 Speaker 1: the odds of having any two individuals share a single print. Well, 299 00:16:36,160 --> 00:16:39,320 Speaker 1: she argues it's just one of the reasons why multiple 300 00:16:39,440 --> 00:16:41,920 Speaker 1: fingerprints are important, and that we really need to consider 301 00:16:41,960 --> 00:16:46,760 Speaker 1: reforming fingerprinting as a biometric. That's one of his big causes, 302 00:16:46,920 --> 00:16:48,800 Speaker 1: or has been over the last several years, is that 303 00:16:48,840 --> 00:16:51,080 Speaker 1: we really need to rethink how much we can trust 304 00:16:51,280 --> 00:16:54,600 Speaker 1: fingerprints as an identified her So, okay, then that problem 305 00:16:54,760 --> 00:16:58,400 Speaker 1: actually would become more pronounced as more people come online. Right, 306 00:16:58,400 --> 00:17:00,840 Speaker 1: so we've talked about adding the three point billion people 307 00:17:00,920 --> 00:17:03,960 Speaker 1: by the year, so that we will now be nine 308 00:17:04,000 --> 00:17:08,080 Speaker 1: point five billion people. Yeah, but even when you if 309 00:17:08,080 --> 00:17:11,159 Speaker 1: you disregard that as just pure number high jinks, you 310 00:17:11,200 --> 00:17:13,480 Speaker 1: still get down to the question why did we buy 311 00:17:13,560 --> 00:17:15,399 Speaker 1: Why did we buy into this idea that that that 312 00:17:15,480 --> 00:17:20,919 Speaker 1: fingerprints are are so perfect? And according to statisticians Stephen M. Stigler, 313 00:17:21,359 --> 00:17:24,679 Speaker 1: uh twentieth century reliance on fingerprints had less to do 314 00:17:24,720 --> 00:17:27,040 Speaker 1: with science and reliability and more to do with courtroom 315 00:17:27,119 --> 00:17:31,400 Speaker 1: drama and a fortunate lack of pattern repetition in prints. 316 00:17:31,400 --> 00:17:33,480 Speaker 1: So the argument here is that, all right, you have 317 00:17:33,520 --> 00:17:36,560 Speaker 1: a trial going on that fingerprint. It looks really cool 318 00:17:36,640 --> 00:17:39,199 Speaker 1: up there on the screen. For the most part, if 319 00:17:39,320 --> 00:17:42,720 Speaker 1: all things created equal, it's pretty reliable. And I mean 320 00:17:42,760 --> 00:17:44,480 Speaker 1: it's as we'll discuss here, there there's a lot of 321 00:17:44,480 --> 00:17:47,800 Speaker 1: reliable things about the fingerprint. It's still pretty unique, but 322 00:17:49,520 --> 00:17:55,320 Speaker 1: it's not flawless. In fact, since evaluations of fingerprinting labs 323 00:17:55,359 --> 00:18:00,119 Speaker 1: by collaborative testing services UH, those evaluations have discovered fingerprinting 324 00:18:00,280 --> 00:18:04,680 Speaker 1: error rates ranging from three to So when you get 325 00:18:04,680 --> 00:18:09,200 Speaker 1: into regardless of how how much you can trust fingerprintings, 326 00:18:09,200 --> 00:18:12,480 Speaker 1: you get into the flawed potentially flawed nature of human 327 00:18:12,600 --> 00:18:15,359 Speaker 1: fingerprinting biometrics and how we record them and keep track 328 00:18:15,400 --> 00:18:18,640 Speaker 1: of them, interpret them, and then press charges with them, 329 00:18:18,880 --> 00:18:22,440 Speaker 1: you can get into like upwards failure rate, chance that 330 00:18:22,440 --> 00:18:24,800 Speaker 1: you're gonna have flawed results. That gets pretty big, I mean, 331 00:18:24,800 --> 00:18:26,520 Speaker 1: and that's why if you look at some of the 332 00:18:26,600 --> 00:18:29,400 Speaker 1: rather lofty figures, I think it's like three and one. 333 00:18:29,480 --> 00:18:32,920 Speaker 1: We're up to as of this recording, three one individuals 334 00:18:32,920 --> 00:18:36,120 Speaker 1: cleared by the Innocence Project, individuals who had been convicted 335 00:18:36,200 --> 00:18:38,439 Speaker 1: largely based on based on a number of things, but 336 00:18:38,480 --> 00:18:41,119 Speaker 1: fingerprinting is a part of that, and then they were 337 00:18:41,119 --> 00:18:45,560 Speaker 1: exonerated via DNA evidence. Well, you know, previous to it 338 00:18:45,640 --> 00:18:49,080 Speaker 1: seemed like the gold standard, and it's you know, historically 339 00:18:49,160 --> 00:18:51,719 Speaker 1: between nineteen nine five and now, there really hasn't been 340 00:18:51,760 --> 00:18:54,760 Speaker 1: that much time that has passed, so obviously a lot 341 00:18:54,880 --> 00:18:58,400 Speaker 1: more reform needs to happen, especially when you consider um 342 00:18:58,720 --> 00:19:00,919 Speaker 1: that you know this was this was the way that 343 00:19:01,000 --> 00:19:04,960 Speaker 1: they began to identify criminals in the nineteenth century and 344 00:19:05,160 --> 00:19:08,600 Speaker 1: that was really helpful technology then, right. And I wanted 345 00:19:08,640 --> 00:19:12,000 Speaker 1: to mention too that that this has its beginnings in 346 00:19:12,080 --> 00:19:15,560 Speaker 1: eighteen fifty eight when an Englishman named Sir William Herschel 347 00:19:15,680 --> 00:19:19,440 Speaker 1: was working at this the chief magistrate at the Hookley 348 00:19:19,680 --> 00:19:23,520 Speaker 1: District in Singapore, India, and in order to reduce fraud, 349 00:19:23,600 --> 00:19:27,280 Speaker 1: he had the residents record their fingerprints when signing business documents. 350 00:19:27,800 --> 00:19:31,280 Speaker 1: So again that has a pretty big tradition back in 351 00:19:31,320 --> 00:19:35,560 Speaker 1: Japanese culture as well and before that. But as you said, 352 00:19:35,640 --> 00:19:39,080 Speaker 1: this is a This is such a dramatic way to 353 00:19:39,600 --> 00:19:42,080 Speaker 1: I d someone and to say this is the person 354 00:19:42,840 --> 00:19:44,960 Speaker 1: that you can see how it's been in use for 355 00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:46,960 Speaker 1: so long. But now, of course we are in a 356 00:19:46,960 --> 00:19:49,760 Speaker 1: different age where we have so many different biometrics to 357 00:19:49,840 --> 00:19:52,280 Speaker 1: work with. Yeah, and people like in Winkle Reed and 358 00:19:52,359 --> 00:19:55,000 Speaker 1: the Staggler, they're not they're not arguing that we should 359 00:19:55,040 --> 00:19:58,399 Speaker 1: just abandon fingerprints, but rather that we should become smarter 360 00:19:58,600 --> 00:20:00,640 Speaker 1: about how we used them and we should not depend 361 00:20:00,640 --> 00:20:04,480 Speaker 1: on him as a soul biometric. However, that again, fingerprints 362 00:20:04,480 --> 00:20:06,159 Speaker 1: are great and they can be very useful, and I 363 00:20:06,160 --> 00:20:09,159 Speaker 1: think it's really interesting to how useful fingerprints can be 364 00:20:09,280 --> 00:20:11,600 Speaker 1: not only immediately after death, but after a certain amount 365 00:20:11,600 --> 00:20:14,680 Speaker 1: of decay has occurred. I found this interesting BBC news 366 00:20:14,760 --> 00:20:17,119 Speaker 1: story that interviewed Alan Bale, who is the author of 367 00:20:17,119 --> 00:20:20,679 Speaker 1: the UK's standard police manual on dead hands, which is 368 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:24,080 Speaker 1: some great expertise there. And this is also something that 369 00:20:24,119 --> 00:20:26,600 Speaker 1: you'll find you'll find in the US and other countries 370 00:20:26,840 --> 00:20:29,320 Speaker 1: forensics manuals. So when he goes to cocktail parties to see, 371 00:20:29,320 --> 00:20:31,399 Speaker 1: say I'm an expert on dead hands, I hope so 372 00:20:31,520 --> 00:20:33,600 Speaker 1: I hope he does, because these are great. This is 373 00:20:33,640 --> 00:20:35,199 Speaker 1: the kind of stuff I'm gonna have to share the 374 00:20:35,240 --> 00:20:38,680 Speaker 1: next cocktail pate party I go to. Because he talks 375 00:20:38,680 --> 00:20:41,760 Speaker 1: about how, quote, if a hand is found in the water, 376 00:20:42,240 --> 00:20:44,560 Speaker 1: you will see that the epidermist starts to come away 377 00:20:44,600 --> 00:20:47,639 Speaker 1: from the dermist like a glove. This sounds gruesome, but 378 00:20:47,680 --> 00:20:50,359 Speaker 1: if a hand has been badly damaged, I cut the 379 00:20:50,400 --> 00:20:54,040 Speaker 1: epidermis off and put my own hand inside that glove. 380 00:20:54,440 --> 00:20:56,920 Speaker 1: And by glove he means the flesh off that hand. 381 00:20:57,359 --> 00:21:00,600 Speaker 1: And then try to fingerprint it like that. So even 382 00:21:00,600 --> 00:21:02,480 Speaker 1: though the outer layer of your head, of your the 383 00:21:02,520 --> 00:21:04,639 Speaker 1: flesh in your hand has come off like a glove, 384 00:21:04,720 --> 00:21:07,919 Speaker 1: like a loose glove, from the rotting remnants of the 385 00:21:07,920 --> 00:21:10,560 Speaker 1: rest of your hand, this guy and other friends it 386 00:21:10,640 --> 00:21:13,320 Speaker 1: professionals can then come along and just slip their own 387 00:21:13,359 --> 00:21:17,360 Speaker 1: hand into your flesh glove and start rolling some prints out. 388 00:21:17,480 --> 00:21:20,080 Speaker 1: They'll just buffalo bill of that. They'll just game's gum 389 00:21:20,119 --> 00:21:30,280 Speaker 1: that bet Yeah. All right, um, that's comforting. That's really comforting. Well, 390 00:21:30,320 --> 00:21:32,840 Speaker 1: all right, let's talk a little bit about the future 391 00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:36,720 Speaker 1: of fingerprints, because I found this really interesting. Um. There's 392 00:21:36,720 --> 00:21:41,320 Speaker 1: a Huntsville, Alabama company called i Dare, and it has 393 00:21:41,320 --> 00:21:44,520 Speaker 1: developed a system that can scan and identify a fingerprint 394 00:21:44,600 --> 00:21:49,440 Speaker 1: from about twenty ft away, and coupled with other biometrics, 395 00:21:49,760 --> 00:21:53,000 Speaker 1: it could soon allow security systems to grant or deny 396 00:21:53,040 --> 00:21:56,679 Speaker 1: access from a distance without requiring users to stop and 397 00:21:56,680 --> 00:21:59,720 Speaker 1: scan a fingerprint or swipe an I d card. Now, 398 00:21:59,720 --> 00:22:02,119 Speaker 1: the aren't customer for this is the military, but it 399 00:22:02,119 --> 00:22:05,439 Speaker 1: has possibilities obviously in the marketplace and in fact as 400 00:22:05,480 --> 00:22:08,320 Speaker 1: being beta tested in a gym right now. But the 401 00:22:08,359 --> 00:22:11,439 Speaker 1: hope by the maker is that they can merge this 402 00:22:11,560 --> 00:22:15,800 Speaker 1: technology with financial data, so you could simply scan your 403 00:22:15,880 --> 00:22:19,560 Speaker 1: fingerprint rather than relying on credit card data and an 404 00:22:19,680 --> 00:22:22,400 Speaker 1: r F I D chip or a credit card itself. Yeah, 405 00:22:22,440 --> 00:22:24,560 Speaker 1: that would that would be great. I've I've undergone a 406 00:22:24,560 --> 00:22:28,520 Speaker 1: fair amount of fingerprinting lightly and it is even even 407 00:22:28,520 --> 00:22:30,840 Speaker 1: in the when you're not using the the actual ink, 408 00:22:30,840 --> 00:22:33,760 Speaker 1: when you're using the scanning method, it's still it's quite 409 00:22:33,760 --> 00:22:36,520 Speaker 1: an ordeal to go. But my mind instantly goes to 410 00:22:36,640 --> 00:22:39,919 Speaker 1: RoboCop with this, because I can imagine RoboCop arriving on 411 00:22:39,960 --> 00:22:43,400 Speaker 1: the scene holding out the gun, making the perpetrators put 412 00:22:43,400 --> 00:22:46,400 Speaker 1: their hands up, and then in that instant instantly scanning 413 00:22:46,560 --> 00:22:49,600 Speaker 1: their fingerprints and getting and checking the database to see 414 00:22:49,600 --> 00:22:53,960 Speaker 1: if they match up with known perpetrators or wanted. I 415 00:22:53,960 --> 00:22:56,720 Speaker 1: mean this, this kind of technology just kind of goes 416 00:22:56,800 --> 00:22:58,639 Speaker 1: wild with your mind, doesn't it, because you can just 417 00:22:58,680 --> 00:23:01,200 Speaker 1: imagine all sorts of implicate sations on that. I also 418 00:23:01,240 --> 00:23:05,719 Speaker 1: wanted to mention ears this is the new fingerprints, Yeah, 419 00:23:05,760 --> 00:23:08,479 Speaker 1: because we know we have other biometrics. We have UM 420 00:23:08,920 --> 00:23:12,360 Speaker 1: voice fingerprints D and a fingerprints IRUs and retinal scans. Yeah, 421 00:23:12,359 --> 00:23:14,800 Speaker 1: and like retinal scans, especially that's been used to death 422 00:23:14,840 --> 00:23:17,760 Speaker 1: and sci fi and and even non sci fi just 423 00:23:17,960 --> 00:23:20,679 Speaker 1: slightly futuristic stuff on TV. So we get that we 424 00:23:20,680 --> 00:23:23,320 Speaker 1: we were already this hammered into our minds that retinal 425 00:23:23,359 --> 00:23:26,360 Speaker 1: scans would be useful. But the ear thing that caught 426 00:23:26,400 --> 00:23:28,560 Speaker 1: me by surprise. But when you when when I read it, 427 00:23:28,600 --> 00:23:30,639 Speaker 1: I'm like, well, obviously, yeah, everyone's ear is going to 428 00:23:30,680 --> 00:23:32,520 Speaker 1: be a little different. But I never thought of it 429 00:23:32,560 --> 00:23:35,400 Speaker 1: as a biometric, a true biometric before. Yeah, because when 430 00:23:35,400 --> 00:23:37,439 Speaker 1: you're born, that's the ear you get, right, you know, 431 00:23:37,600 --> 00:23:41,080 Speaker 1: doesn't change much other than length or things that you 432 00:23:41,119 --> 00:23:43,480 Speaker 1: do to it. Do you get to like some piercing? 433 00:23:43,520 --> 00:23:45,720 Speaker 1: I mean, that's the thing. The ear is one obviously 434 00:23:45,760 --> 00:23:48,040 Speaker 1: not the most commonly mutilated parts of the human body 435 00:23:48,520 --> 00:23:52,240 Speaker 1: well and also grown right under the skin of the arm. 436 00:23:52,480 --> 00:23:55,200 Speaker 1: Was the woman who had the tissue for her ear 437 00:23:55,760 --> 00:23:58,119 Speaker 1: that she grew under her arms. I don't know that 438 00:23:58,160 --> 00:24:00,920 Speaker 1: you're not thinking of the artist though, No, I'm thinking 439 00:24:00,960 --> 00:24:04,600 Speaker 1: about something else. Uh anyway, scrap that. The point is 440 00:24:04,600 --> 00:24:07,120 Speaker 1: is that there are biometrics that are geared towards the ear, 441 00:24:07,200 --> 00:24:10,760 Speaker 1: And this is from Wired Science from Dave Mosher. He says, 442 00:24:10,800 --> 00:24:14,679 Speaker 1: that a new shape finding algorithm called image ray transform, 443 00:24:15,080 --> 00:24:19,920 Speaker 1: which boasts six percent accuracy according to a study by 444 00:24:19,920 --> 00:24:23,919 Speaker 1: the i E Fourth International Conference, UH could use the 445 00:24:23,960 --> 00:24:28,199 Speaker 1: outer ear to identify people. And it works by unleashing 446 00:24:28,640 --> 00:24:31,200 Speaker 1: a ray producing algorithm on an image to seek out 447 00:24:31,240 --> 00:24:34,840 Speaker 1: curved features. And when a ray finds, when the software 448 00:24:34,920 --> 00:24:38,280 Speaker 1: draws over the part and repeats the analysis, and in 449 00:24:38,320 --> 00:24:41,240 Speaker 1: a few hundred or a thousand cycles, that cleanly paints 450 00:24:41,600 --> 00:24:46,000 Speaker 1: the ear more than any other face structure. Of course, 451 00:24:46,000 --> 00:24:48,640 Speaker 1: there are palms here which I think you've already idicated 452 00:24:48,880 --> 00:24:54,000 Speaker 1: earmuffs all all with no idea who they were. Well, 453 00:24:54,040 --> 00:24:55,840 Speaker 1: what happens to you when you when you get older 454 00:24:56,160 --> 00:24:59,879 Speaker 1: the cartage, Yes, your ears fall off because the cartilage 455 00:24:59,880 --> 00:25:03,040 Speaker 1: in your ear begins to stretch right, or you get 456 00:25:03,040 --> 00:25:06,680 Speaker 1: a bunch of piercings or tribal things. You know. Well, 457 00:25:06,680 --> 00:25:08,640 Speaker 1: that's the other limitations of the system, because you could 458 00:25:08,680 --> 00:25:11,760 Speaker 1: have also have hair covering in the ears. Again, as 459 00:25:11,800 --> 00:25:15,560 Speaker 1: you get older, there's less than ideal lighting conditions. And 460 00:25:15,600 --> 00:25:18,000 Speaker 1: then the big one is the different I D s 461 00:25:18,080 --> 00:25:21,400 Speaker 1: generated from different angles that it's taken from. So there 462 00:25:21,440 --> 00:25:25,200 Speaker 1: you have it fingerprints what they are? Why we have them, 463 00:25:25,359 --> 00:25:28,919 Speaker 1: how we use them to I D people and single 464 00:25:28,960 --> 00:25:32,159 Speaker 1: out our uniqueness among so many other humans. Hopefully we 465 00:25:32,160 --> 00:25:34,280 Speaker 1: got to give you a little more food for thought. 466 00:25:34,280 --> 00:25:36,600 Speaker 1: The next time you're you're rolling that print around in 467 00:25:36,640 --> 00:25:39,320 Speaker 1: some ink, or yeah, if you're getting booked, you know, 468 00:25:39,440 --> 00:25:41,240 Speaker 1: take a take a moment just to see what sort 469 00:25:41,240 --> 00:25:43,080 Speaker 1: of pattern you have. Yeah, or if you're you're eating 470 00:25:43,080 --> 00:25:45,760 Speaker 1: some pudding, just take a moment to roll it around 471 00:25:45,760 --> 00:25:47,440 Speaker 1: in there and then go up to a nice white 472 00:25:47,440 --> 00:25:51,160 Speaker 1: wall and just stick it pudding. Yeah, all right, Yeah, 473 00:25:51,359 --> 00:25:54,320 Speaker 1: preferably chocolate. That's gonna show up better than yeah, you're 474 00:25:54,400 --> 00:25:58,040 Speaker 1: vanilla or butterscotch. Okay, let's call the robe it over 475 00:25:58,080 --> 00:25:59,720 Speaker 1: and do a little listener mail before we head out. 476 00:26:01,760 --> 00:26:05,920 Speaker 1: This first one comes to us from Camilla. Camilla writes 477 00:26:05,960 --> 00:26:08,119 Speaker 1: to us on Facebook and says, Hi, guys, let me 478 00:26:08,160 --> 00:26:11,520 Speaker 1: start my message with an obligatory ego massage. Your podcast 479 00:26:11,600 --> 00:26:14,720 Speaker 1: is awesome. I listened to it in the gym and 480 00:26:14,760 --> 00:26:16,959 Speaker 1: my friends always think it's strange that I burst out 481 00:26:17,040 --> 00:26:19,520 Speaker 1: laughing while running. Thanks for that. And you know, we 482 00:26:19,640 --> 00:26:24,200 Speaker 1: just did an episode on laughter and yeah, an exercise, 483 00:26:24,280 --> 00:26:27,439 Speaker 1: so yes, if you are laughing while running, they may 484 00:26:27,480 --> 00:26:28,840 Speaker 1: think it's weird, but you were getting you might be 485 00:26:28,880 --> 00:26:32,199 Speaker 1: getting a better exercise and a more healthy exercise than 486 00:26:32,240 --> 00:26:35,960 Speaker 1: they are. So let's doorphins are going to the roof. Yeah, 487 00:26:36,520 --> 00:26:39,879 Speaker 1: every time we we say something funny. Uh So anyway, 488 00:26:39,960 --> 00:26:43,359 Speaker 1: she continues, thanks for that. After your three podcasts on maps, 489 00:26:43,400 --> 00:26:46,359 Speaker 1: I couldn't help but feeling frustrated. I think the the 490 00:26:46,440 --> 00:26:48,960 Speaker 1: area of my brain is broken. Seriously, every time I 491 00:26:49,000 --> 00:26:51,000 Speaker 1: come out of a shop, I have no idea which 492 00:26:51,000 --> 00:26:54,040 Speaker 1: direction I came from and where I should go. I'm 493 00:26:54,080 --> 00:26:56,679 Speaker 1: a little better when reading maps, but creating mental maps 494 00:26:56,880 --> 00:26:59,520 Speaker 1: seems just near impossible. Anyway, I'm sure you've got many 495 00:26:59,520 --> 00:27:02,359 Speaker 1: messages about people and or animals with excellent sense of direction, 496 00:27:02,359 --> 00:27:04,720 Speaker 1: and I thought I'd share the other end of the spectrum. 497 00:27:04,880 --> 00:27:07,399 Speaker 1: Blindfold me and twirl me around twice, and I wouldn't 498 00:27:07,400 --> 00:27:09,119 Speaker 1: find my way home. Keep up the great work in 499 00:27:09,160 --> 00:27:12,880 Speaker 1: congratulations on your success. Um. Yeah, that the whole subject 500 00:27:12,920 --> 00:27:19,680 Speaker 1: of one's ability to orient orientate yourself in a complex 501 00:27:19,760 --> 00:27:22,080 Speaker 1: or even familiar environment is a is a very interesting 502 00:27:22,080 --> 00:27:25,480 Speaker 1: area of study. Yeah, and you can also increase your 503 00:27:25,520 --> 00:27:29,000 Speaker 1: map sense too. You can actually, um, you know, try 504 00:27:29,080 --> 00:27:32,040 Speaker 1: to exercise that part of your brain and train it 505 00:27:32,359 --> 00:27:35,400 Speaker 1: to increase your abilities. I find with myself because I'm 506 00:27:35,480 --> 00:27:38,880 Speaker 1: kind of bad at maps, and some of that comes 507 00:27:38,880 --> 00:27:43,200 Speaker 1: from the reliance on on on these various map tools 508 00:27:43,240 --> 00:27:46,160 Speaker 1: that we have, such as GPS, such as printing out 509 00:27:46,160 --> 00:27:48,000 Speaker 1: a map and just knowing you know how many turns 510 00:27:48,040 --> 00:27:52,280 Speaker 1: to take. And and also I'm I'm terrible at remembering 511 00:27:52,280 --> 00:27:55,080 Speaker 1: the names of streets, which doesn't help that. Like every 512 00:27:55,080 --> 00:27:58,560 Speaker 1: street in Atlanta is called Peachtree, uh, which isn't just 513 00:27:58,600 --> 00:28:00,760 Speaker 1: a joke. It's like every street Almo, it seems it's 514 00:28:01,080 --> 00:28:06,359 Speaker 1: name Summer avenues and streets are It's like there are 515 00:28:06,359 --> 00:28:08,159 Speaker 1: only so many street names that people were allowed to 516 00:28:08,240 --> 00:28:10,639 Speaker 1: use in every city, and you have to use those. 517 00:28:10,800 --> 00:28:13,000 Speaker 1: Whereas I think we should have crazier street names. We 518 00:28:13,000 --> 00:28:16,040 Speaker 1: should name them after you know, I don't know, like 519 00:28:16,119 --> 00:28:18,600 Speaker 1: Sandworm Avenue, I'd go for that. Who would ever forget 520 00:28:18,640 --> 00:28:22,119 Speaker 1: sand Worm Avenue? Wouldn't. Well, I've always wanted to do that, honestly. 521 00:28:22,160 --> 00:28:24,680 Speaker 1: And I thought about it more in terms of subdivisions, 522 00:28:24,680 --> 00:28:28,280 Speaker 1: because subdivisions always have these great like falling oaks. Yeah, 523 00:28:28,440 --> 00:28:31,080 Speaker 1: And I was like, what about just calling that subdivision 524 00:28:31,160 --> 00:28:36,320 Speaker 1: or that street fallen woman? Yes? Broken Dreams. Yeah, or 525 00:28:36,800 --> 00:28:39,160 Speaker 1: how about Cloaca Avenue. I like that that would be 526 00:28:39,200 --> 00:28:42,800 Speaker 1: a good one. That's one that I think I would 527 00:28:42,840 --> 00:28:44,440 Speaker 1: have that I'd have to steal it and put in 528 00:28:44,480 --> 00:28:47,560 Speaker 1: my home. Yeah. If it doesn't it, maybe it exists 529 00:28:47,320 --> 00:28:50,480 Speaker 1: that I hope that it will exist. Please please exist. 530 00:28:51,680 --> 00:28:54,480 Speaker 1: Um So anyway, Kamala, thanks for riding in and giving 531 00:28:54,520 --> 00:28:56,760 Speaker 1: us a little food for thought in that area. It 532 00:28:56,920 --> 00:28:59,480 Speaker 1: is a very interesting area of study there. There was 533 00:28:59,720 --> 00:29:02,360 Speaker 1: one really cool episode of I believe it was a 534 00:29:02,480 --> 00:29:04,880 Speaker 1: radio Lab where they were talking about individuals who have 535 00:29:04,880 --> 00:29:08,800 Speaker 1: a particular anomaly that makes them extra prone to becoming 536 00:29:08,840 --> 00:29:12,160 Speaker 1: disoriented in setting. So look that one up. But I 537 00:29:12,160 --> 00:29:14,320 Speaker 1: believe I shared it on the Facebook. Recently. We also 538 00:29:14,360 --> 00:29:16,600 Speaker 1: heard from a listener about the name of Valerie. Valerie 539 00:29:16,640 --> 00:29:19,600 Speaker 1: rights in from Austin, Texas and says, Hi, Robert and Julie. 540 00:29:19,640 --> 00:29:21,720 Speaker 1: I was listening to the episode about bats, and it 541 00:29:21,720 --> 00:29:23,520 Speaker 1: made me think about when I was a kid. I 542 00:29:23,560 --> 00:29:26,200 Speaker 1: grew up in Santa Fe, New Mexico. For the first 543 00:29:26,240 --> 00:29:29,480 Speaker 1: part of the year, we have a few Mexican freetailed bats. 544 00:29:29,640 --> 00:29:32,720 Speaker 1: They come through town on their migration south. One of 545 00:29:32,720 --> 00:29:35,040 Speaker 1: those bats decided that our porch was an awesome place 546 00:29:35,080 --> 00:29:37,640 Speaker 1: to use as a temporary home. We went and talked 547 00:29:37,760 --> 00:29:40,120 Speaker 1: to the local Animal Information center and asked what we 548 00:29:40,160 --> 00:29:41,960 Speaker 1: should do. It was a time of year that the 549 00:29:42,000 --> 00:29:45,000 Speaker 1: bat was either mading, birthing, or something else that needed 550 00:29:45,120 --> 00:29:47,880 Speaker 1: to not be disturbed. Since the bat needed to not 551 00:29:48,000 --> 00:29:50,480 Speaker 1: be disturbed while I was living here, we had to 552 00:29:50,480 --> 00:29:52,320 Speaker 1: stop using our front door. We had to go out 553 00:29:52,320 --> 00:29:54,760 Speaker 1: our back door, through our backyard and through the gate 554 00:29:54,800 --> 00:29:57,520 Speaker 1: in the back. That worked moderately well for the for 555 00:29:57,560 --> 00:29:59,880 Speaker 1: some of the time. For most of that entire summer, 556 00:30:00,200 --> 00:30:02,480 Speaker 1: we also had to have anyone who visited our house 557 00:30:02,560 --> 00:30:05,360 Speaker 1: stop using our door. Now that I look back on it, 558 00:30:05,360 --> 00:30:07,080 Speaker 1: it seemed like a lot of the time, a lot 559 00:30:07,160 --> 00:30:09,560 Speaker 1: of time to just stop using our front door. But 560 00:30:09,680 --> 00:30:11,240 Speaker 1: at the time my parents made it seemed like a 561 00:30:11,240 --> 00:30:13,760 Speaker 1: really cool thing we were doing for a summer, So 562 00:30:13,840 --> 00:30:17,760 Speaker 1: that was that was That's really interesting. I remember at 563 00:30:17,840 --> 00:30:20,520 Speaker 1: one point the house my family lived and had a gazebo, 564 00:30:21,440 --> 00:30:24,120 Speaker 1: and there's a bat that took refuge up in there, 565 00:30:24,120 --> 00:30:26,440 Speaker 1: and so it's kind of neat we had a local bat. Uh. 566 00:30:26,480 --> 00:30:28,400 Speaker 1: And as I've discussed before, I've tried to get bats 567 00:30:28,400 --> 00:30:31,360 Speaker 1: to move into the bat house in my home or 568 00:30:31,480 --> 00:30:34,800 Speaker 1: my previous home, and they wouldn't do it, so it 569 00:30:34,840 --> 00:30:37,720 Speaker 1: makes me sad. Well, but now Valerie is in Austin 570 00:30:37,920 --> 00:30:40,640 Speaker 1: that central right the Conquer Street bridge. Oh yes, that's 571 00:30:40,680 --> 00:30:44,160 Speaker 1: right where they all cluster. Every all right, Well, if 572 00:30:44,200 --> 00:30:45,680 Speaker 1: the rest of you have anything you would like to 573 00:30:45,680 --> 00:30:49,960 Speaker 1: share about bats, or about directions, or certainly about fingerprints, 574 00:30:50,000 --> 00:30:52,160 Speaker 1: we would love to hear from you. Do you have 575 00:30:52,280 --> 00:30:55,000 Speaker 1: some sort of unique fingerprint? Do you have no fingerprints? 576 00:30:55,440 --> 00:30:58,000 Speaker 1: Let us know. We would love to have some perspective 577 00:30:58,000 --> 00:31:00,400 Speaker 1: on that, for sure. I'm certainly about the the history 578 00:31:00,400 --> 00:31:03,840 Speaker 1: of fingerprints or simply taking a corpse's hand flesh and 579 00:31:03,880 --> 00:31:06,800 Speaker 1: slipping it on like a glove and typing. We would 580 00:31:06,840 --> 00:31:09,120 Speaker 1: love to know about that as well. You can find 581 00:31:09,160 --> 00:31:11,360 Speaker 1: us on Facebook, you can find us on tumbler. We 582 00:31:11,440 --> 00:31:13,520 Speaker 1: are stuff to blow your mind on both of those pages, 583 00:31:13,920 --> 00:31:16,320 Speaker 1: and we go by the handle blow the Mind on 584 00:31:16,400 --> 00:31:18,600 Speaker 1: the old Twitter, and you can always drop us a 585 00:31:18,640 --> 00:31:27,920 Speaker 1: line at blow the Mind at discovery dot com for 586 00:31:28,080 --> 00:31:30,400 Speaker 1: more on this and thousands of other topics. Is it 587 00:31:30,480 --> 00:31:36,240 Speaker 1: how Stuff Works dot com