What exactly is a biometric anyway...?

Well, this morning was our scheduled appointment for fingerprints (AGAIN) for the adoption process. I find this quite funny though because we had to be fingerprinted once for the home study and this time it was for a different form...the I-600. Now...here's where in the land of adoption paperwork nothing makes sense. I wonder why both branches of the government just can't cross reference the fingerprints. Really...it can't be that difficult. I mean, you can go to Target and they can pull up what you have purchased without even a receipt. Amazing!

That aside...I saw on the form for the fingerprints that they needed to take my "biometrics". For the life of me, I had no clue as to what this was (but remember...my world is pretty small). My thoughts were racing...could it be some new weight loss do-hickey thingy...or maybe they wanted to take a sample of my genius ability to send to science. Nope! Sometimes it's better to not ask. For when I gleamed and told the security officer that I was here to take my "biometrics"....I only received a slight grunt and a "ninth floor". O.k...upon entering I realized that this is the place where people who don't like their job go. Still, I wanted to do this "biometric" thing. I went in, filled out the needed paperwork and waited to be called. I got to the room, and they proceeded to take my fingerprints. After the lady was finished, I stood and waited. "You're all done", she said. "But what about my biometrics?...don't you need it for science?" She laughed and smiled and said..."have a great day".

So I walked out still wondering...what exactly is a biometric anyway?