Galton's estimate relied on using every available point (there are generally between 35 and 50).

ECONOMIST: Fingering fingerprints | The

Nothing, not even Galton's original analysis, has anything to say about the likelihood of fragments of prints coinciding in different individuals.

ECONOMIST: Fingering fingerprints | The

Maybe Galton's classic twins study was invalid: perhaps you cannot look at the similarities between identical twins, and those between non-identical ones, and conclude that the difference must necessarily be due to genes.

ECONOMIST: WHAT WE LEARN FROM TWINS: The mirror of your soul | The