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Study suggests bats originated in Europe 65 million years ago

A large-scale analysis of genomes and fossils indicates flight and echolocation evolved early in bat evolution.

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

Published
FILE PHOTO: A Rodrigues fruit bat hangs on a perch in the Masoala Rainforest hall at the zoo in Zurich March 26, 2013. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann/File Photo

What this story says

  • Bats likely first appeared in Europe approximately 65 million years ago, according to a large study combining genome and fossil data.
  • The study suggests that the evolution of flight and echolocation occurred early in the history of bats.
  • Researchers analyzed genetic data from 103 bat species and information from 44 fossil bats to construct a bat family tree.
  • The findings indicate bats spread from Europe to other continents, with Antarctica being the only continent they never inhabited.

Who covered it

Left 18%(7)Centre 61%(23)Right 21%(8)

Percentages are shares of the 38 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 26 of the 64 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .

Trust

42/100

Craft

61/100

Hype

41/100

64 sources · methodology

A comprehensive study integrating bat genomes and fossil records suggests that bats originated in Europe approximately 65 million years ago. This places their emergence shortly after the mass extinction event that ended the age of dinosaurs. The research, which analysed genomes from 103 bat species and data from 44 fossil bats, indicates that these flying mammals then spread across the globe, reaching Africa, Asia, America, and Australia. Antarctica is noted as the only continent never inhabited by bats.

The study also proposes that key evolutionary traits, specifically the ability to fly and to echolocate, evolved near the beginning of bat evolution. Researchers used advanced computational methods to build a bat family tree, integrating genetic information with anatomical traits observed in fossils. This approach aimed to resolve long-standing debates about the origin of bats and the sequence of their evolutionary developments.

Disagreement on early evolution

While the study suggests flight and echolocation evolved near the dawn of bat evolution, the precise timing and order of these developments remain a subject of discussion. Channel News Asia reported that researchers concluded both flight and echolocation evolved near the dawn of bat evolution. However, Channel News Asia also noted that it is unclear whether flight or echolocation evolved first, with one study leader stating that the oldest bat fossils show both capabilities, and that finding older 'pre-bats' would be necessary to answer this question.

What the coverage left out

None of the left, centre, or right-rated reports printed below mention the specific date of the study's publication in the journal Nature, nor do they detail the specific time period after the asteroid impact that bats are suggested to have appeared in Europe.

Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 3 times, most recently on 24 Sept 2026, 19:30, and will add the sides that appear.

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

7 rated outlets

  • Left-rated reports highlighted the study's conclusion that bats originated in Europe about 65 million years ago, challenging previous hypotheses about their origins in Africa, Asia, or North America. Several reports, including those from CBC News and Gizmodo, mentioned that the study could help reveal secrets behind bats' extraordinary disease resistance and longevity. CBC News also included details about the study's methodology, such as sequencing genomes from 103 bat species and comparing them to 44 fossil bats, and quoted a study leader, Sonja Vernes, on the dispersal of bats across the planet. Gizmodo's headline, "We Finally Know Where Bats Came From, and Dracula Would Approve," alluded to the popular association of bats with the fictional vampire.

Centre

23 rated outlets

  • Centre-rated reports focused on the study's main finding that bats likely originated in Europe around 65 million years ago. Multiple outlets, such as Kreiszeitung, merkur.de, tz.de, hna.de, and mannheim24.de, stated that 134 researchers from 64 countries analyzed 103 bat genomes and 44 fossil finds, and that the results showed how the animals spread from Europe to Africa, Asia, America, and Australia. Channel News Asia, also rated centre, provided more detail on the study's implications, noting that bats are critical players in global ecosystems and that their evolutionary history has been a puzzle for scientists.

Right

8 rated outlets

  • Right-rated reports primarily focused on the study's conclusion that bats originated in Europe approximately 65 million years ago, contradicting prior assumptions about their place of origin. Headlines from outlets like Chronicle-Tribune, The Messenger, and La Razón posed the question "Where did bats originate from?" and stated that new research reveals the answer. Cyprus Mail noted the participation of the University of Nicosia in the international study published in Nature. News-pravda.com mentioned that scientists uncovered the origin and secret of bat longevity, suggesting this could help humans.

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover Study suggests bats originated in Europe 65 million years ago?
Of the 38 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 18% are rated left, 61% are rated centre, 21% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 64. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
Is Study suggests bats originated in Europe 65 million years ago left or right?
Neither side dominates it. Of the 38 rated outlets on this story, 18% are rated left, 61% are rated centre, 21% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
Is the coverage of Study suggests bats originated in Europe 65 million years ago biased?
Study suggests bats originated in Europe 65 million years ago is one event reported by 64 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
Which outlets covered Study suggests bats originated in Europe 65 million years ago?
64 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
When and where did bats first appear according to the study?
A large study combining bat genomes and fossils suggests that bats first appeared in Europe about 65 million years ago. This timing places their emergence shortly after the extinction of the dinosaurs.
What key evolutionary traits evolved early in bats?
The study indicates that the evolution of flight and echolocation, the biological sonar system many bats use, occurred near the dawn of bat evolution. These abilities are considered fundamental to their success and diversification.
How many bat species and fossils were analysed in the study?
Researchers analysed genomes from 103 different bat species and integrated this data with an analysis of 44 fossil bats. This extensive dataset was used to construct a comprehensive bat family tree.
Which continent have bats never inhabited?
According to the findings of the study, Antarctica is the only continent that bats have never inhabited. From their likely origin in Europe, they spread to other parts of the world.

Read it at the source

64 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

7

Centre

23
Show 15 more

Right

8

Not rated

26
Show 18 more

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