Why Are Your Fingerprints Unique?

Because of the chaotic way fingerprints develop and the multiplying effect of compound probability, it's basically impossible for any two fingers to have matching prints.

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To learn more, start your googling with these keywords:
Fingerprint: The markings on the skin on the last joint of the thumb or finger.
Fingerprint Ridges: The raised lines on the fingerprint.
Fingerprint Pattern: The main design in the middle of the fingerprint; usually a loop, whorl, or arch.
Volar Pad: The mass of stem cells that grows under the fingers during a particular time during fetal development that is responsible for determining the pattern of the fingerprint.
Fingerprint Minutiae: The various tiny points in each fingertip where the ridgelines get blocked or split.
Compound Probability: The likelihood that independent events will occur simultaneously.
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Credits (and Twitter handles):
Video Illustrator: Arcadi Garcia & Ever Salazar
With Contributions From: Henry Reich, Alex Reich, Kate Yoshida, Peter Reich

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References:

Kucken, Michael (2018). Personal Communication. Center of Information Services and High Performance Computing. TU Dresden.

[PolishNomad]

This video only exists so he could flex his rare fingerprint pattern

[ossi_]

“Or, in the case of my left thumb, a somewhat rarer double loop whirl”

Weird flex, but ok.

[TaliesinMyrddin]

"Hi, this is David from Minute Earth, and these are my fingerprints"

FINALLY THE LAST THING I NEEDED TO COMMIT MY CRIME SPREE

[tibby]

Who else spent too much time after watching this staring at their fingers?

[Schokocraft]

But the fingerprint sensor only scans a small section of the fingerprint. Does this fact make them unsecure?

[TommoCarroll]

Loved this episode guys! There's something fascinating about fingerprints - maybe because they're one of the first things we start to learn about within biology as kids? Either way, great episode!

[KuruGDI]

So you say that, after I murdered somebody, telling the police that my long lost one-eyed twin did it, is a bad idea, right?

[micahphilson]

Well, if you have that rare thing where you don't form fingerprints, then everyone else who has that will have truly identical fingerprints to you.

So you're not wrong, but I'm technically right... the best kind of right!

[harrytsang]

100% identical is very improbable but the most common type of fingerprint sensor on our phones only take a small portion of it and similarities at that scale became more plausible.

[feynstein]

Hang on. Didn't Adam Ruins Everything did a video on how fingerprints aren't foolproof and that there have been cases of false matches?

[samimas]

"I swear by the Day of Resurrection.
And I swear by the reproaching soul (sinful one at that day).
Does man think that We will not assemble his bones? (Again after death)
Yes. [We are] Able [even] to proportion/ *perfect* *his* *fingertips* .
But man desires to go ahead indulging in sin.
He asks, "When is the Day of Resurrection?"
So when vision is dazzled.
And the moon darkened,
And the sun and the moon are joined,
Man will say on that Day, 'Where to escape?'
No! There is no refuge.
To your Lord, that Day, is the [place of] permanence."

[smooth]

2:58 I can use my fingerprint to unlock the app that stores all of my passwords
0:03 Hi, this is Dave, here is a high res image of all of my fingerprints
Be on your toes, Dave.

[Titanic-wobq]

0:47
OH MY GOODNESS
IT'S GINNY, GRED, AND FORGE!
WEASELYS!

[elraviv]

2:03 this is misleading. see the Birthday problem.
Let say you use a random generator between 1 and 2^50, to assign a random number for each person. then after 33, 554, 432 (that is 2^25) peoples you have 50% that 2 of them got the same number.

*note I've assigned only 1 number to a person, since there are 10 fingerprints for a person we get to 50% after only ~3, 000, 000 people.

[Brainstorm]

I need my stereo microscope STAT! To the lab! Looks like I have a lot of forks.

[gurnug]

About mathematics: actually it is mathematicly proven that there is non zero chance that Your fingerprints may not be unique. Chance is very close to zero but not zero. It's like it is mathematicly proven that there is non zero chance that sometime someone somewhere might take his clothes perfectly folded from washing machine after wash. ;)

[Trash_prince]

"I found prince!"
"No no finger prints!"
"I don't think so"

[haniyasu]

0:22 Someone on the production team plays Overwatch I see...

[mancheetah]

This is the most interesting video I’ve watched on this channel for a while, thank you

[josephraphaelllaneta]

Nice one! those puns are getting butter, and ur thumb is pretty cool