Forensic Firsts　识最前线

cntic 2012-08-22

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Just like snowflakes, fingerprints are unique, and no two are exactly the same. They are made from the ridges on the tips of our fingers and thumbs. A baby starts forming its own unique set of fingerprints as early as three months inside its mother. Interestingly, the ridges of one's fingerprints don't change with growth or age and can't be changed by cutting, burning, or scraping. Since the pattern remains as new skin grows, only severe injuries or surgeries can change them.

The three basic fingerprint patterns include arches, loops, and whorls. These can be passed down from family member to family member. However, they are never the same, not even in twins. That is why fingerprints are the best form of identification and are now commonly used in police investigations.

In 1892, a bloody thumbprint was used to help prove that a mother in Argentina had killed her two children. By the 1920s, J. Edgar Hoover, head of the FBI in the US, had set up a national fingerprint database and one of the best forensic labs in the world. For a look into a real-life CSI, don't miss Forensic Firsts on National Geographic Channel this month.

就如同雪花一样，每个指纹都是独一无二的，没有两枚会完全相同。指纹是由我们手指及大拇指末端的皱褶所形成。婴儿早在母体内三个月大的时候，就会开始形成自己独特的一组指纹。有趣的是，某人指纹的皱褶不会随著发育或年龄而改变，也不会被因割伤、烧伤或刮伤而有所不同。由於指纹纹路随著新皮肤成长也会保持一样，所以只有严重的伤害或是手术才会改变它们。

基本的指纹纹路包括了拱状纹、圈状纹和涡状纹。这些纹路可以在家族成员之间一代传一代。然而，它们永远不会一模一样，即便是双胞胎也是如此。正因为上述的关系，指纹是证明身分的最佳方式，如今也普遍用於警方的调查当中。

西元1892年，一枚血淋淋的拇指指纹被用来佐证阿根廷的一位母亲杀害了她的两个小孩。到了1920年代，美国联邦调查局局长艾德加·胡佛建立了一座全国指纹资料库以及一个世界顶尖的法医实验室。若想一窥现实生活中的《CSI犯罪现场》，那就不要错过国家地理频道本月份的《鉴识最前线》。

unique a. 独特的
Mary's unique style makes her one of the most popular fashion designers in the world.
玛丽的独特风格使她成为全球最红的时装设计师之一。
growth n. 成长
Exercise and good food are important to the growth of healthy children.
运动和营养的食物对健康孩子的发育十分重要。
scrape vi. & vt. 刮除；刮
Mandy scraped the barbecue grill, but it was still black.
曼蒂把烤肉架刮过一遍，但它还是黑的。
pattern n. 图案，花样
The frost made a beautiful pattern on my living room window.
霜在我家客厅的窗户上结成了一种很漂亮的图案。
severe a. 严重的；剧烈的
The victim's family wanted the judge to give the murderer a severe sentence.
被害者家属要求法官将那名凶手判以重刑。
pass...down/pass down...把……传给後人；把……往下传
This tradition has been passed down from generation to generation.
这是一项世世代代流传下来的传统。
commonly adv. 通常，一般地
Shift workers commonly complain about not getting enough sleep.
轮班的工人一般都会抱怨睡眠不足。
investigation n. 调查
The investigation showed that Stella was innocent of the crime.
调查显示史黛拉并没有犯下这宗罪案。