Let's keep learning about Forensics, the science of a detective!
Another part of forensic science is Fingerprints.
Everyone's fingers have tiny little ridges that are made over years and years of touching things.
The skin on the hand is the epidermis, and the fingerprints are called epidermal ridges.
These little ridges stick up, and have oils on them that is made by the skin.
When a person touches something, the oil from the ridges leaves a mark.
A good way to test it is to touch a mirror or a piece of glass, and it should show the finger print.
Detectives figured out that using a little brush with some ink on it, they could find fingerprints on windows, desks, or anything a person touches.
To match up the fingerprints, they take a persons finger and get ink on it, then make a mark on a piece of paper.
If the paper mark matches the one they found, then it is for sure a match, as no two people have the same fingerprints.
There are special names for some types of shapes on the fingerprints, like arch, loop, and whorl.
(from: wikipedia - fingerprint)
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