title: A biochemical hypothesis on the formation of fingerprints using a turing patterns approach.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Fingerprints represent a particular characteristic for each individual. Characteristic patterns are also formed on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. Their origin and development is still unknown but it is believed to have a strong genetic component, although it is not the only thing determining its formation. Each fingerprint is a papillary drawing composed by papillae and rete ridges (crests). This paper proposes a phenomenological model describing fingerprint pattern formation using reaction diffusion equations with Turing space parameters.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Several numerical examples were solved regarding simplified finger geometries to study pattern formation. The finite element method was used for numerical solution, in conjunction with the Newton-Raphson method to approximate nonlinear partial differential equations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The numerical examples showed that the model could represent the formation of different types of fingerprint characteristics in each individual.
authors.affiliation: Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering Department, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Engineering Modeling and Numerical Methods Group (GNUM), Bogotá, Colombia. dagarzona@bt.unal.edu.co
authors.forename: Diego A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Garzón-Alvarado
authors.forename: Angelica M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Ramírez Martinez
mesh_terms: D001669:Biochemical Phenomena; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003878:Dermatoglyphics; D006801:Humans; D008954:Models, Biological