ScienceMoneycontrol.comBats may have first evolved in Europe 60 million years ago, new DNA study reveals
A major DNA study suggests bats first evolved in Europe about 60 million years ago, overturning earlier theories pointing to Africa, Asia or North America.
A genomic study of 103 bat species suggests bats first evolved in Europe around 60 million years ago, reshaping scientific understanding of their origins, flight and echolocation.
A genomic study of 103 bat species combined with fossil evidence suggests bats originated in Europe around 60 million years ago.
Researchers from the international Bat1K project found two major bat branches both diversified rapidly between 56 and 52 million years ago during a period of global warming.
The findings challenge long-held theories placing bat origins in Africa, Asia or North America, reshaping how scientists understand mammal evolution and dispersal.
The study, published in Nature, drew on genomes from 103 species and 44 fossils, making it the most comprehensive bat evolutionary analysis to date.
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