Short answers, pulled from the story.
Merkel cell nerve endings sit in the basal epidermis and hair follicles to handle deep static touch like shapes and edges. These receptors react to low vibrations between 5 and 15 Hz and provide extremely detailed information for fingertips due to their small receptive field.
The first-order neuron is a type of pseudounipolar neuron with its cell body always sitting in the dorsal root ganglion of the spinal nerve. Its peripheral axon innervates touch mechanoreceptors while its central axon synapses on the second-order neuron.
Area BA1 processes texture info while Area BA2 processes size and shape information within the primary somatosensory cortex known as Brodmann areas 3, 2 and 1 collectively referred to as S1. Region S2 divides into Area S2 and parietal ventral area where Area S2 is involved with specific touch perception.
Tactile contact between two animals occurs through stroking licking or grooming which induces the release of oxytocin in the hypothalamus. Oxytocin decreases stress and anxiety and increases social bonding between animals.
Passive tactile spatial acuity is enhanced among blind individuals compared to sighted individuals of the same age because they reportedly consolidate tactile information more rapidly than sighted people. Cross modal plasticity in the cerebral cortex of blind individuals may explain these differences.