News Health & Medicine How fingerprints form was a mystery — until now A theory proposed by mathematician Alan Turing in the 1950s helps explain the process Three of the most common fingerprint shapes — arch, loop and whorl (traced in purple) — can be explained in part by a theory proposed by British mathematician Alan Turing. J. Glover et al/Cell 2023 Share this:EmailFacebookTwitterPinterestPocketRedditPrint By McKenzie Prillaman February 9, 2023 at 11:00 am Scientists have finally figured out how those arches, loops and whorls formed on your fingertips.