Bat ‘nightclubs’ may be the key to solving the next pandemic

Science Daily  February 20, 2024 Myotis bats are exceptionally species rich and have evolved viral tolerance. They also exhibit swarming, a cryptic behavior where large, multi-species assemblages gather for mating, which has been hypothesized to promote interspecific hybridization. An international team of researchers (USA – Texas A&M, Switzerland, France, Ireland) analysed 60 Old World Myotis genomes to resolve the coevolution of genome architecture and their unusual antiviral tolerance. They demonstrated an extensive history of introgressive hybridization that has replaced the species phylogeny across 17%−93% of the genome except for pericentromeric regions of macrochromosomes. They enriched introgression tracts on microchromosome regions […]