Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert to answer, send it to CuriousKidsUS@theconversation.com. How do we get the fingerprints we have? – Oscar ...

Now that they're in smartphones, fingerprint scanners seem to be everywhere, but what's really going on behind the scenes when they're scanned?

You’ve had your own personal set of fingerprints since before you were born, and they’ll be with you throughout your whole life.