{"id":516733,"date":"2025-11-26T06:29:33","date_gmt":"2025-11-26T01:29:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/?p=516733"},"modified":"2025-11-26T06:29:33","modified_gmt":"2025-11-26T01:29:33","slug":"malaysian-scientists-recruit-bed-bugs-as-crime-scene-sleuths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/malaysian-scientists-recruit-bed-bugs-as-crime-scene-sleuths\/","title":{"rendered":"Malaysian scientists recruit bed bugs as crime scene sleuths"},"content":{"rendered":"

PENANG
\nUnder glaring laboratory lights, a research assistant extends his forearm and carefully inverts a mesh-topped container onto his skin to allow a wriggling mass of bed bugs to feed on his blood, all in the name of science. Long-loathed as itchy household pests, the blood-sucking insects have revealed a darker, more intriguing potential as Malaysian scientists have discovered they can be turned into unlikely crime-busting allies.
\nA team from the Science University of Malaysia (USM) in northern Penang has found that tropical bed bugs can retain DNA from human prey for up to 45 days after snacking on an unwary victim. This makes the tiny critters, who love to lurk in headboard cracks, mattress seams and pillow covers, ideal evidence resources when it comes to pinpointing suspects at crime scenes.
\nFrom a speck of blood, police investigators may one day be able to piece together the full profile of an offender, if the critters are present at a crime scene. Analysing the insects could reveal gender, eye colour, hair and skin colour, entomologist Abdul Hafiz Ab Majid told media .\u201dWe call bed bugs the \u2018musuh dalam selimut\u2019 (Malay for \u201cthe enemy in the blanket\u201d),\u201d Hafiz said, adding that \u201cthey can also be spies\u201d to help solve crimes. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

PENANG Under glaring laboratory lights, a research assistant extends his forearm and carefully inverts a mesh-topped container onto his skin to allow a wriggling mass of bed bugs to feed on his blood, all in the name of science. Long-loathed as itchy household pests, the blood-sucking insects have revealed a darker, more intriguing potential as […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":516758,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-516733","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\nMalaysian scientists recruit bed bugs as crime scene sleuths<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/malaysian-scientists-recruit-bed-bugs-as-crime-scene-sleuths\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Malaysian scientists recruit bed bugs as crime scene sleuths\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"PENANG Under glaring laboratory lights, a research assistant extends his forearm and carefully inverts a mesh-topped container onto his skin to allow a wriggling mass of bed bugs to feed on his blood, all in the name of science. Long-loathed as itchy household pests, the blood-sucking insects have revealed a darker, more intriguing potential as […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/malaysian-scientists-recruit-bed-bugs-as-crime-scene-sleuths\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Daily Lead Pakistan\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/DailyLeadPak\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-11-26T01:29:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/leadpakistan.com.pk\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Page-5a-22.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"545\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"330\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Web Desk\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@DailyLeadPak\" 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