sormenjäljiltä

Sormenjäljiltä is a Finnish term meaning "from fingerprints" and is used to refer to information, evidence, or conclusions that originate from fingerprint traces. In forensic science, the phrase describes the origin of evidence obtained from fingerprint analysis and identification. The process typically includes the detection of latent or visible prints, their development with powders or chemical reagents, and the lifting or photographing of the prints for comparison with reference samples. Modern practice often utilizes automated databases and probabilistic matching to assess the likelihood that a print matches a given individual.

Beyond its technical meaning, sormenjäljiltä appears in Finnish journalism and culture as a natural idiom for discovering identity-based clues, and it is sometimes used as a title or motif in crime fiction and media to signal the central role of fingerprints in solving a case.

Limitations include that prints may be partial, degraded, or contaminated; environmental conditions can obscure details; interpretation involves uncertainty and must be supported by corroborating evidence and proper chain of custody to be legally admissible.

In related topics, sormenjälki (fingerprint), latent print, AFIS, biometrics, and chain of custody are central concepts in modern forensic identification.