9 fascinating facts you probably didn't know about your fingerprints

• Fingerprints develop before birth and remain largely unchanged throughout life.

• Even identical twins have different fingerprint patterns due to differences during fetal development.

• Fingerprints help with grip and touch and are now widely used for identification and biometric security.

Look closely at your fingertips and you will see something you probably take for granted every day: tiny ridges and valleys forming patterns across your skin.

You use them when you hold your phone, pick up a glass, open a door or grip a pen. Your phone may even use them to confirm your identity.

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Those tiny lines are known as friction ridges, and they begin forming before we are born. Scientists know quite a lot about how they develop and how they are used, although the full evolutionary story behind why humans have them is more complicated than you might think.

You don't develop your fingerprints after birth.

The friction ridges begin forming during fetal development, with the final patterns influenced by both genetic factors and conditions during development in the womb.

By the time you are born, the basic pattern is already established.

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This is one of the most fascinating things about fingerprints.

Identical twins share virtually the same DNA, but their fingerprints can still be distinguished from one another.

That's because fingerprint development is influenced not only by genetics but also by small differences in the environment during fetal development.

So while identical twins may have similar-looking patterns, the detailed ridge characteristics are not the same.

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Most fingerprints are broadly classified into three familiar patterns:

• Loops: Ridges enter from one side, curve around and generally exit on the same side.

• Whorls: Ridges form circular or spiral-like patterns.

• Arches: Ridges generally enter from one side and flow toward the other, rising in the middle.

The FBI's fingerprint classification system has long used arches, loops and whorls as major pattern groups, with additional subcategories for more unusual patterns.

Take a look at your fingers. Which pattern do you have?

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Your fingerprints aren't simply nature's version of an identity card.

The raised ridges on your fingertips are called friction ridges, and they interact with surfaces when you touch and grip objects.

Research has linked these structures to friction and the way our fingertips interact mechanically with surfaces. Their arrangement also plays a role in our sense of touch.

So the next time you're holding a cup or typing on your phone, those tiny ridges are doing more than sitting on your fingertips.

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The basic arrangement of your fingerprint ridges is remarkably persistent. This is one reason fingerprints have been so useful in identification.

You can't easily lose your fingerprints. Your fingerprint pattern is formed before birth and generally remains with you throughout your life. The outer layer of skin is constantly replaced, but the deeper structures that determine your friction ridges remain intact.

A minor cut, burn or scrape usually does not permanently erase your fingerprints. Once the skin heals, the original ridge pattern generally returns. However, deep injuries that damage the deeper layers of the skin can permanently alter parts of a fingerprint, leaving scars or changing the ridge pattern.

Certain skin conditions and prolonged exposure to substances or friction can also make fingerprints temporarily harder to capture.

Age can affect the appearance and quality of fingerprints, and injuries or deep scarring can alter parts of the skin. But the underlying ridge patterns generally remain stable over a person's lifetime.

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Ever touched a clean mirror or glass table and immediately seen your fingerprint?

That's because substances naturally present on your skin can be transferred onto surfaces when you touch them.

The ridges on your fingertips make contact with the surface, leaving behind an impression that can sometimes be seen with the naked eye or developed using forensic techniques.

That same basic principle is why fingerprints can become useful evidence in forensic investigations.

It's easy to think fingerprint identification works by looking at whether two prints both have a loop or whorl. It doesn't.

Forensic comparison looks at much more detailed characteristics within the friction ridge patterns. Experts compare features in a questioned print with a known reference print to determine whether they could have come from the same source.

And the quality of a fingerprint left on a surface can vary considerably depending on factors such as pressure, distortion and the surface itself.

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Fingerprints have moved far beyond police stations and forensic laboratories.

Today, fingerprint recognition is used in biometric systems, including some phones and other authentication technologies.

The appeal is simple: unlike a password, your fingerprint is physically attached to you.

But biometric systems aren't perfect, which is why modern fingerprint recognition relies on sophisticated technology to analyse and compare detailed patterns.

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While almost everyone develops fingerprints before birth, a very small number of people are born without them. This rare condition is known as adermatoglyphia. People with the condition are born without the normal friction ridges on their fingertips, palms, toes and soles of their feet.

Because fingerprints are commonly used for biometric identification, people with adermatoglyphia may sometimes have difficulty using fingerprint scanners for things such as immigration checks, workplace access or electronic devices.

The condition is extremely uncommon and has been linked to genetic changes affecting the development of the skin's friction ridges. So, while your fingerprints are usually considered one of the things that makes you unique, there are rare cases where a person is born without them at all.

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Your fingerprints may seem like nothing more than tiny lines on your fingertips, but they are far more fascinating than they appear. They develop before you are born, help you interact with the world around you and usually remain with you throughout your life.

From the fact that even identical twins have different fingerprints to the rare cases of people born without them, these patterns reveal just how unique the human body can be.

So, the next time you look at your fingertips, remember that those little ridges are not just useful for unlocking your phone or identifying you, they are a small but remarkable part of what makes you, you