Sonja Vernes

New Capabilities

As of September 2026: Lead author of the Nature paper

An international team of 137 researchers from 64 countries has sequenced the genomes of 103 bat species, including representatives from all 21 living bat families. Combined with an analysis of 44 fossil bats, the data shows bats—the only mammals capable of powered flight—likely originated in Europe about 65 million years ago, not Africa, Asia, or North America as earlier studies proposed.

Updated Sep 25