Take a close look at your fingerprints. This collection of
arches, loops and whorls on your fingertips is yours alone;
no one else in the world -- past, present or future -- has
the exact same set of fingerprints as you. Your unique
pattern of fingerprints is determined by your DNA, a special
molecule inside your cells that controls your body's
processes, as well as by the environment that your fingers
were exposed to in your mother's womb before you were
born.
Once you are born, your fingerprints cannot change. Even if
you get a cut on your finger, when it heals, the original
fingerprint will form again.
QUESTION: Since identical twins have identical DNA in their
cells and they both develop in the same environment, how is
it that they have different fingerprints from each other?
ANSWER: Even though identical twins develop right next to
each other in the same mother, they are still in slightly
different environments. For example, perhaps Shmuly was in a
warmer area or a more acidic area than Sruly. That small
difference means they will have different fingerprints for
the rest of their lives!
Through the uniqueness of fingerprints, Hashem is teaching us
the importance of the environment in which we live. No two
people experience the world in the same way, even if they are
from the same neighborhood, school or even family. Hashem
gives each of us a unique set of life experiences to help us
grow to our own potential.
Moreover, we can learn that small differences lead to big
consequences. Just as a slight change in temperature or pH
can control your final fingerprint pattern, a small gesture
of kindness, like holding the door for a mother with a
stroller, a good word and dozens of other examples, can
change someone's day completely. Since you are part of the
environment of everyone around you, each little action you
make affects the `fingerprint' of other people's thoughts,
feelings and actions.
Try this: Use a pencil to shade an area approximately
2 cm x 2 cm on a piece of paper. Rub one of your fingertips
on the square, making sure you have covered the entire
fingerprint. Now, carefully place a piece of clear tape on
your blackened finger so that the tape comes in contact with
the entire print, including the sides of your finger. Peel
away the tape and affix it to a sheet of paper, labeling
which hand and finger it is. Repeat for each finger.
Examine each print carefully and compare it to the pictures
below, to determine whether it is an arch, loop or whorl.
Loops are the most common; arches the least. You have
successfully completed the first step in a scientist's
investigation of fingerprints. To further identify your
fingerprints, you would need to count all the little
lines!
