What do fingerprints and snowflakes have in common? No two are the same, even for identical twins! That’s pretty cool, especially considering how many people there are in this world, and how many snowflakes fall around the world during the year. Since September is “I Spy” month at the Discovery Museum, the topic of fingerprints certainly has to be a part of our month of programs. On Wednesday, Sept. 26, kids will dip the ends of their fingers into ink and examine their own prints on paper with magnifying glasses. On Thursday, Sept. 27, kids will learn about using fingerprints to solve crimes with fingerprint expert Doug Coleman.
If you want your kids to come prepared with a few facts regarding the subject, here are a few I’m willing to spill compliments of encyclopedia.com. Skin is never completely dry or clean (which is why we leave behind prints), so if you don’t want to leave your prints around town, you should wear gloves. Fingerprints can be enhanced with scanning technology, so partial prints left behind can be equally valuable as a whole print. Lastly, did you know it was way back in 1892 when the first person ever (an Argentine woman) was found guilty by using fingerprint evidence?
There’s a lot more to learn, so be sure to drop by soon! Visit our website at smvdiscoverymuseum.org for times and details on all of our free weekly programs. We all have fingerprints, so be sure to learn all you can!
Erin Kiniry is program coordinator for the Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum. Discovery Corner is a weekly column in the Sun, highlighting events, science activities, and more for the Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum at 705 S. McClelland in Santa Maria. Send comments to discoverycorner@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Sep 20-27, 2012.