Over the years, one question has followed me through countless conversations, courtrooms, and conferences: How reliable is a fingerprint? It’s the kind of query that sounds simple but unravels into a tangle of science, technology, and human judgment. That’s why I teamed up with my colleague, Dr. Maria-Louise Morgott, to tackle it head-on in our latest paper, Forensic Fingerprint Analysis: Evaluating Scientific Foundations, Technological Innovations, and Judicial Implications. This blog post pulls out the key threads from that work, offering a detailed rundown for forensic buffs, legal minds, and anyone curious about the gritty reality behind those ridges on your fingertips.