Which animal has fingerprints almost identical to humans?!
Studies show that fingerprints may not create friction alone—but when combined with sweat, those tiny grooves help us (and this mystery animal) maintain grip on surfaces. #258STEMFacts #STEMinASL #AnimalScience #Fingerprints
ID: Brandon is wearing a bandana and a black short sleeve shirt standing in front of a light blue background. He signs as captions appear. Visuals show throughout, like fingerprints, koala, a close up of how sweat glands release into pores, and a very close up video showing our fingerprints releasing moisture. The closing video shows white background with blue text: Enjoyed this video? Black text: Please consider donating; your support will help keep our content & resources FREE! Green button with black text: atomichands.com/donate. Image of an iPhone with Atomic Hands’ menu webpage shows with menu options: ASL STEM Storybooks, ASL STEM Videos, ASL STEM Resources, ASL STEM Dictionaries, ASL STEM News, ASL STEM Events, and Deaf STEMist Network.
Transcript: It was discovered in the mid-1990s that koalas have fingerprints that look nearly identical as human fingerprints! A 2020 study suggested that, while fingerprints may not build friction on their own, they may help maintain grip by working in conjunction with sweat glands. When in contact with hard, impermeable surfaces, our fingers release moisture. The moisture builds friction by softening the skin on our fingertips, with help from the prints’ tiny grooves, which direct the liquid in a way that allows maximum evaporation. Very interesting!