New Research Confirms: Fingers Wrinkle Consistently When Soaked in Water

A recent investigation by researchers at Binghamton University reveals that the wrinkle patterns on terrain caused by prolonged human hand immersion in water remain consistent and repetitive over time.



Images of skin wrinkles on topography were overlaid with each other from two different time points 24 hours apart, with opacity levels (a) 0%, (b) 50%, (c) 100%. Image credit: Guy German.

Several years ago, Guy K. Germany from Binghamton University conducted research into the reasons behind the wrinkling of human skin after prolonged exposure to water.

It was commonly assumed that water causes the skin to swell and wrinkle, yet substantial research to validate this was limited.

The finding revealed that the contraction of blood vessels beneath the skin leads to the formation of these wrinkles.

Recent research indicates that the topographical patterns of these wrinkles are consistent across multiple instances of immersion.

“The blood vessels maintain a relatively static position. They may shift slightly, but in relation to each other, they remain largely unchanged,” stated Dr. Deutsche.

“This suggests that wrinkles will form in a consistent manner, and we have confirmed this through our study.”

The researchers submerged subjects’ fingers in water for 30 minutes, captured images, and repeated the process under identical conditions at least 24 hours later.

By analyzing the photographs, Dr. Deutsche and his colleague Rachel Raytin observed identical patterns of raised loops and ridges after both immersion events.

“We also uncovered some fascinating aspects during our study,” Dr. Deutsche remarked.

“I learned that individuals with median nerve damage in their fingers do not exhibit wrinkles.”

“One of my students revealed, ‘I have median nerve damage in my finger.’ We tested this hypothesis—no wrinkles!”

While it was amusing to explore these inquiries, this new research may have significant applications in forensic medicine, such as in fingerprinting at crime scenes or identifying remains found after extended exposure to water.

“My father, a retired British police officer, encountered such challenges during his career in law enforcement,” Dr. Deutsche shared.

“Biometrics and fingerprinting are ingrained in my thinking. I constantly ponder these topics due to their compelling nature.”

Survey results will be published in Journal of Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials.

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Rachel Raytin & Guy K. Germany. 2025. For reproducibility of the topographical pattern of water finger wrinkles, soak in human skin. Journal of Mechanical Behavior of Biomedical Materials 165, 106935; doi:10.1016/j.jmbbm.2025.106935

Source: www.sci.news

Tericinosaurus, a peculiar new species, is known to have only two fingers

Paleontologists excavated the fossilized remains of a new and rare Terazinosaurus dinosaur with atypical hands in Mongolia.

Reconstructing the life of Duonychus tsogtbaatari. Image credit: Masato Hattori.

Duonychus tsogtbaatari He lived in what is now Mongolia during the late Cretaceous period, between 1995 and 90 million years ago.

The new species belongs to Teresino Sauriaa group of herbivorous or omnivorous theropod dinosaurs that lived in Asia and North America during the Cretaceous period.

“Therizinosauria is a clade of a rare herbivorous or omnivorous theropod dinosaur known from Cretaceous sediments in Asia and North America,” wrote paleontologist Yoshitsugu Kobayashi Yosh and his colleagues at the Hokkaido University Spine Museum on paper.

“This clade is most recognizable in the triductyl (three fingers) hand with three large clawless non-guals, as illustrated by its large body. Tericinosaurus From the latest Cretaceous period in Mongolia. ”

“Like a more primitive member of the clade Falkarius, Beipiaosaurusand JianChangosaurus There were relatively small Unguals compared to the more derived forms Ellianaurus, Nothronychusand in particular Tericinosaurus. ”

“As herbivorous or omnivorous theropods with long necks and small leaf-shaped teeth, their unusual evolution of hands may have played an important role in the feeding ecology of this clade.”

According to paleontologists, Duonychus tsogtbaatari is a medium sized terazinosaurus and estimates weight is about 260 kg.

This dinosaur fossil is Bien Series Formation Gobi Desert, Ömnögovi Province in southeastern Mongolia.

“The specimen was a six posterior joint vertebrae, six distinct sacral vertebrae with sacrum ribs, frontline coccyx, several dorsal ribs, partial left shoulder blade and coracoid, coracoid, umeri, ulnae, radi, rightan, right, right, pubest, right, right, right, right, right, right, right, right, right, the proximal end of left ischemia,” the researchers wrote.

Reconstructed skeletons and selected elements Duonychus tsogtbaatari. Image credits: Kobayashi et al. , doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2025.112141.

Duonychus tsogtbaatari Unlike other Tericinosaurus in that their hands only have two fingers, rather than three fingers.

“As for other Therizinosaurus, this new species is unique in having a definitive didigital hand,” the scientist wrote.

“The specimen also preserves the complete three-dimensional sheath, representing the keratinous claws, among non-Pallavian theropods.”

Well-preserved specimens Duonychus tsogtbaatari It provides insight into the functional aspects of that kind.

“Saved keratin nails based on abdominal curvature and nail attack angle Duonychus tsogtbaatari “The author writes, reveals features within the scope of scansorial (climbing), tenasorial (grappling).”

“Of these functions, herbivorous or omnivorous diet and body size Duonychus tsogtbaatariLike other terazinosaurus, it suggests the use of amps that helps grasp branches, such as chameleons and some mammals (e.g., Southern Tamandua, Alitant), or to grip, raise, or manipulate bait (e.g., bird birds).

“Even though there are only two functional numbers, Duonychus tsogtbaatari Given the extreme flexion at Ungual joints and the strong curvature of the keratin nails, it may have been an effective Glasper, a feature unknown in other terazinosaurus. ”

“Based on the shape and dimensions of the keratin nail dimensions, Duonychus tsogtbaatari They could have grabbed branches or herds of vegetation up to about 10 cm in diameter. TericinosaurusI’ll suggest that Duonychus tsogtbaatari Foraging behaviors may have been more selective. ”

“Manus Duonychus tsogtbaatariits powerful flexion and claw curvature further supports that the derived Therizinosaurus manus is likely to be provided in a rake or hook-and-pull function to bring vegetation into the mouth during feeding, as previously suggested. ”

“The claws usually have a dominant function for hook-and-pull foraging in the most derived Theresinosaurus, but these structures may also be used for other purposes such as territory, defense, courtship, and play.”

“In addition to the unexpected morphological diversity of the Manus of Telesinosaurus (i.e., director), Duonychus tsogtbaatari It reveals greater species richness of Tericinosaurus in the ecosystem of the Baiancily Formation than previously recognized,” they concluded.

Team’s paper It was published in the journal on March 25th Iscience.

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Yoshitug Kobayashi et al. Didictilteresinosaurus with keratinous nails preserved since the late Cretaceous period in the late Mongolia. IsciencePublished online on March 25th, 2025. doi:10.1016/j.isci.2025.112141

Source: www.sci.news

The dinosaur with two fingers used its massive claws to devour leaves

Illustration of Duonychus Tsogtbaatari, a Cretaceous theropod dinosaur

Masato Hatri

A new species of dinosaur found on the Mongolian building site has the largest fully preserved claws ever discovered. The bipedal herbivores only had two fingers in each hand, so they may have been used to grab a branch and pull it towards their mouth.

The 90 million-year-old fossil containing parts of the pelvis, arms and hands, and parts of numerous vertebrae was discovered in 2012 near Kambogd in the Gobi Desert, but is now properly studied and given a scientific name. Duonychus tsogtbaatari. The genus name means “two claws” and the species name honors Mongolian paleontologists Kishigjav tsogtbaatar.

Duonychus It's a small relative of Tericinosaurusthe features of the movie Jurassic World Dominion. Yoshitug Kobayashi In Hokkaido, Japan, his colleague estimates that the dinosaurs were about 3 meters long and weighed about 270 kilograms.

“Discovery Duonychus tsogtbaatari It's a big deal because it's the first known tericinosaurus with only two fingers,” says Kobayashi.

Overall, five groups of theropods have evolved to have only two fingers. Tyrannosaurus.

DuonychusThe nails are nearly 30 centimeters. Unusually, the nail sheath is made of keratin, the same material as the nail – is preserved.

“Keratin usually doesn't become fossilized. It fades long before bones do it,” says Kobayashi. “Most of the time, when we find dinosaur claws, we just look at the nucleus of the bone. But in life, the actual claws are covered in thick keratin sheaths, which are longer and curved.”

Team Members Darla Zelenitsky At the University of Calgary, Canada, finding a two-fingered Tericinosaurus was very surprising.

Duonychus Tsogtbaatari nails

Kobayashi et al.

“This is the largest 3D dinosaur claw that is completely preserved. “This claw is not preserved as the outline of the rock surrounding the bone. This is quite typical for fossils where the true claw is preserved. This claw is actually three-dimensional and forms a sheath around the underlying phalanx, similar to what is found on dog and cat's paws.”

Researchers believe that the nails are adaptations for grabbing and pulling down vegetation. Less fingers can make each one stronger, more flexible, narrower, and more controlled grips possible, Kobayashi says.

“The curved claws and extreme flexion suggest that they can be more easily connected to leaf branches and clusters,” he says. “Three fingers may have just got in the way, but two provided a more accurate and efficient grasp.”

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Artificial Intelligence Can Identify if Fingerprints from Two Different Fingers belong to the Same Person

Fingerprints from two fingers on the same hand may look different, but AI can find basic similarities

Andrey Kuzmin/Shutterstock

Artificial intelligence can accurately identify whether fingerprints left by different fingers belong to the same person. This helps forensic investigators determine whether one person was at separate crime scenes.

Current technology can only match fingerprints left by the same finger. However, previous research suggests that all human fingertips may have fundamental similarities.

So, Gabe Guo Researchers at Columbia University in New York trained a machine learning model to determine whether fingerprints from different fingers can be identified as belonging to the same person. More than 50,000 fingerprints from around 1,000 people were used in the training. Samples were obtained from public databases at the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the University at Buffalo, New York. All fingerprints either belonged to deceased individuals or were anonymized from those living.

The team then tested the trained model on another set of more than 7,000 fingerprints from about 150 people. They evaluated the model using a statistical measure that estimates accuracy on a scale of 0 to 1. The researchers found that the model's score was greater than 0.75. This suggests that the model can reliably identify whether fingerprints from different fingers belong to the same person.

This technology has the potential to improve the efficiency of forensic investigations. “It could be useful if fingerprints found at multiple crime scenes don't match anyone in the database,” he says. ralph listenbutt at Pennsylvania State University. “Is the person who left fingerprints at this particular crime scene the same person who left them?” [different] What about this other crime scene print? ”

However, “the accuracy is not sufficient at this time.” [for this model] The court will have to decide this,” Guo said.

“If this is actually used for legal purposes, it will require professional retraining. [bigger] database” Hod Lipsonalso part of the research team at Columbia University.

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Source: www.newscientist.com