Naked Science Forum

On the Lighter Side => That CAN'T be true! => Topic started by: Bala.R on 02/12/2011 19:01:02

Title: Can fingerprints predict facial appearance?
Post by: Bala.R on 02/12/2011 19:01:02

Bala.R asked the Naked Scientists:
   
Is it possible to draw a face from his/her fingerprints?

What do you think?

Title: Can fingerprints predict facial appearance?
Post by: RD on 01/12/2011 14:33:56

Some unusual genetic disorders can affect both fingerprints and facial features ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dermatoglyphics (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dermatoglyphics)

Title: Can fingerprints predict facial appearance?
Post by: CliffordK on 01/12/2011 20:24:35

A chemical analysis of fingerprint residue can give additional information about an individual, including potentially the sex, race, and details about the diet.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1559302/Fingerprints-can-reveal-race-and-sex.html
http://news.softpedia.com/news/New-Fingerprinting-Technique-Can-Detect-Sex-Race-Age-Diet-Smoking-60561.shtml

I was curious on whether morphology could be used to determine things like race, but it seems inconclusive.  The best I can tell, there are some statistical anomalies that might point more towards one race than another, but not enough to conclusively make a determination one way or another.

It would seem like one could also capture information such as the gross size of the fingers which should give some information about an individual.