Bat genome study reveals European origins and clues to human health

UPDATE - follow-up to Bats first originated in Europe 65 million years ago, scientists say: Researchers can now use the extraordinarily long lives and disease resistance of bats to design new ways to improve human health, following the largest ever study of bat genomes and fossils.

Evolution and Origins

Scientists deduced that bats originated in Europe 65 million years ago in the late Palaeocene, coinciding with rising global temperatures and environmental changes. This finding counters old ideas that bats started in Africa or North America. The study involved 137 scientists from 64 countries working together in the Bat1K consortium. From Europe, the animals spread to Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Australia. Flight and echolocation developed right at the start of the animal's evolution. Sonja Vernes from the University of St. Andrews and founder of Bat1K noted that flight gave bats a huge advantage in spreading across the globe, with some modern bats migrating thousands of kilometres across diverse climates.

Research and Health Potential

Researchers spent decades building the dataset, using DNA sequencing to compare genomes across 103 species representing all 21 living families. Today, 1,500 species of bats live across the world. They help pollinate plants, control insect pests, and spread seeds. Many species host viruses without getting sick and live unusually long lives compared to other mammals of a similar size. With this new genomic resource, scientists aim to find the genetic traits that let bats live long lives while fighting off disease, ultimately using these insights to improve human health.