Television series like CSI would have us believe that nothing is easier than gathering fingerprints at crime scenes. In reality, finding prints on many surfaces, such as paper, is a near impossible task. Hebrew University researchers have now invented a new way to produce clear and accurate prints, even off wet paper.

Israeli scientists proved that a rare medical condition causing people to be born without fingerprints is linked to a mutation in the genome. To better understand the genetics of fingerprint formation, Dr. Sprecher and colleagues investigated a large Swiss family presenting with adermatoglyphia.