Study finds bats likely originated in Europe about 65 million years ago

A Nature study by more than 130 researchers using ancient bat fossils and genomic data from living species concludes bats likely originated in Europe about 65 million years ago, not in Africa, Asia or North America. Early bats spread from Europe to Africa, then to Asia, the Americas and Australia, and echolocation evolved near the dawn of bat evolution. The findings may advance research on viruses and cancer in humans.