Reknamorken wrote:
] Has it been proven yet that a clone will have identical
] fingerprints? I know it seems intuitive, but I'm still
] wondering... I guess not. According to Jeremy's link having to do with identical twins, their fingerprints are different. I always thought that was because identical twins can still have slight variations in their genome. I figured clones would have identical fingerprints because in cloning, the entire nucleous is transfered, leaving no room for mutation to occur. This is what I took from the link Jeremy supplied, relating to identical twins:
"Fingerprints and physical appearance in general are part of an individuals phenotype, which arises from the interaction of the individuals genes and the developmental environment in the uterus. In the case of fingerprints, the genes determine the general characteristics of the patterns that are used for fingerprint classification. As the skin on the fingertip differentiates, it expresses these general characteristics. However, as a surface tissue, it is also in contact with the amniotic fluid in the uterus. The fingertips are also in contact with other parts of the fetus and the uterus, and their position in relation to uterus and the fetal body changes as the fetus moves on its own and in response to positional changes of the mother. Thus the microenvironment of the growing cells on the fingertip is in flux, and is always slightly different from hand to hand and finger to finger. It is this microenvironment that determines the fine detail of the fingerprint structure. While the differences in the microenvironment between fingers are small and subtle, their effect is amplified by the differentiating cells and produces the macroscopic differences that enable the fingerprints of twins to be differentiated."
So, you learn something new every day. RE: Security issues that come with Cloning |
