GoKawiilNew genome and fossil analysis revises bat family tree and origins
Researchers built a combined dataset of DNA and fossil traits to reconstruct how living bat families relate to extinct lineages and when they diverged. The study compiled morphological data from 44 pre-Quaternary fossil bats alongside genome-matched representatives of every living bat family, filtering out unreliable or redundant characters before merging this with neutral genomic sites. They applied a fossilized birth-death modeling approach to jointly estimate the bat family tree and its divergence timeline.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
By combining genomic data with carefully filtered fossil evidence, the approach could address long-standing statistical problems that made earlier bat phylogenies unreliable, such as biased or non-independent morphological traits. This suggests future evolutionary trees for other groups might benefit from similar total-evidence methods rather than relying on either fossils or DNA alone. More accurate dating of bat lineages could also reshape understanding of when flight and echolocation evolved.
- Study combined 44 fossil bat taxa with genomic data from living bat families to rebuild the family tree.
- Researchers filtered 699 morphological characters down to 480 statistically independent ones to reduce bias.
- A fossilized birth-death 'total evidence dating' method was used to jointly estimate relationships and divergence times.
Source: nature.com — Morales, 2026-09-23
Published there as: “Reference genomes and fossils revise bat family phylogeny and biogeography”
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