BatProtect

Emma is a Full Professor in the UCD School of Biology and Environmental Science and founding director of the Centre for Irish Bat Research. She has studied bat evolution since beginning her PhD in 1997. Read the study: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

The results provide a clearer picture of where and how this remarkable lineage emerged.

The landmark study analysed 103 bat genomes, including 42 newly generated chromosome-level assemblies, representing all 21 recognised bat families. This was combined with evidence from 44 fossil bats.

...a global initiative dedicated to sequencing the genomes of all living bat species co-founded by UCD’s Professor Teeling, reconstructed the evolutionary history of the world's only mammals capable of true powered flight.

By combining genomic data from all living bat families with ancient fossil records, an international team of 137 researchers from 64 countries working as part of the Bat1K consortium

Scientists have long struggled to establish where bats first originated, with previous hypotheses proposing Africa, Asia and North America.

This new research has rewritten the evolutionary history of bats, providing evidence that the winged mammals most likely originated in Europe during the late Palaeocene, some 65-60 million years ago.

Huge congrats to @emmateeling.bsky.social @hillermich.bsky.social & Linfa Wang on latest publication in @nature.com 🦇 🏆 Led by @bat1kgenomes.bsky.social team this massive study completely rewrites the bat family tree, tracing their origins back 65m yrs to EU 🧬 @erc.europa.eu @ucddublin.bsky.social

🦇⭐️ Cover Star: Huge congratulations to UCD Professor Emma Teeling, whose latest groundbreaking bat research features on the most recent cover of the prestigious journal @nature.com. 👏 @emmateeling.bsky.social

Why Bats Don’t Age and Why You Should Care! Longevity Roadmap Podcast interview with Dr. Buck Joffrey and @emmateeling.bsky.social is now live about why bats are rewriting the rules of longevity science youtu.be/Ktb3HJmemZ8?... via @YouTube @erc.europa.eu

Final keynote #MeriadegLeGouil 10 yrs of evolution of Sarbecovirus in Rhinolophus ferrumequinum: dynamics, drivers & spillover rate in sympatric species 3 days of researchers sharing their research. These face to face meetings are so essential for consortium led projects, so much collaboration!

Final Chalk talks: Host response to pathogens, stress & perturbations #FredTouzalin #OrlinAlcock #MridulaNandakumar & #GwenHurpy Multi-omics, single cell, nanoseq, proteomics & clocks #FengZhu & #MeganPower

Day 3 - Immune/population - morning keynotes from: #SebastianPuechmaille & #EricPetit - Pedigree reconstruction & genomic analyses to advance our understanding of ageing #JoePrescott - Egyptian rousette bat immune responses to Marburg virus

Embedded in the heart of @unicologne.bsky.social at the amazing @cecad.bsky.social our event continues with keynote by #AleksandraTrifunovic on Mitochondrial stress responses: gatekeepers of cellular health, disease & longevity followed by chalk talks by #AsyaMartirosyan #AkshamalGamage & #JavierKoh

BatProtect programme continues with keynote from #ThomasZwaka: Bat iPSCs & bat adaptations Followed by Genome -validation & test hypothesis chalk talks from #AnastasiaBaturina, #DavidMeyer, #WalterSandt & #ArielEraso

Day 2: bringing the consortium researchers & experts together is on the theme of Functional & comparative genomics Keynote #StefanMundlos: Functional Genomics of Bat Limb Development With Genome Chalk team talks #LucasCanesin, #YuryMalovichko, #AlejandroGonzales, #BernhardBein & #MicheleAlbertini

Afternoon session kicked off by #GeraldWilkinson: Comparative studies of bat aging using DNA methylation Followed by Theme 2 chalk talks: DREAM & repair #ArturoBujarrabal-Dueso, #NajaEckert & #XuanjingLi #SonjaVernes gave a keynote on Understanding bat adaptations by studying a captive bat colony

Part of our programme is Interactive Chalk talks and Theme 1 is on longitudinal sampling, biomarker & repair by #SebastienRiquier, #MaggieWeber, #IlzeSkujina & #MarekUvizl

BatProtect - 3 day programme kicked off by @bjornschumacher.bsky.social followed by keynote from #StevenAustad on Methuselah's Zoo: what nature can teach us about living longer, healthier lives

3 day programme has exciting blend of keynotes from leading experts, interactive chalk talks by BatProtect researchers from across the consortium and group discussions focusing on new methods, opportunities and future research planning. Day 1 outline below - focuses on Longitudinal Omics/Metadata

Zoom and emails are great for international @erc.europa.eu synergy grants. But you can't get away from the importance of face-to-face interactions, so the researchers from across the consortium are together in beautiful Cologne thanks to @cecad.bsky.social from 1 - 3 December 2025.

🧬🧬🧬Targeting Genome Stability to Mitigate Human Aging and Disease - read now our comprehensive review article written with Debbie Toiber how we can target the most fundamental mechanisms of aging and cancer. @annualreviews.bsky.social 🔗 go.shr.lc/3JohYMp

It's a great pleasure to introduce the RACE ERA Chair Initiative for Establishing a Research and Innovation Program of Excellence on Ageing and Longevity at the University of Crete with @garinis.bsky.social

Now out in print: Targeting DNA damage in ageing: towards supercharging DNA repair. New perspectives how we could tackle cancer and aging at their mechanistic root cause: I www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Do bats hold the secret to human longevity? RAZOR’s Reya El-Salahi joins @emmateeling.bsky.social from @ucddublin.bsky.social, & French conservation group Bretagne-Vivante in Brittany as they study bats to uncover longevity secrets. youtu.be/8HSpJbWqfBs?... @erc.europa.eu @horizoneu.bsky.social

New and exciting project publication "Linking phenotype to genotype using comprehensive genomic comparisons" www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... @erc.europa.eu @bjornschumacher.bsky.social @emmateeling.bsky.social @hillermich.bsky.social

Always great to meet with and discuss our research with the ERC President, Prof Maria Leptin @marialep.bsky.social @erc.europa.eu @emmateeling.bsky.social @bjornschumacher.bsky.social

Check out this exciting publication from the BatProtect project, with many more to follow! "Generating bat primary and immortalised cell-lines from wing biopsies" doi.org/10.1038/s415... @ucddublin.bsky.social @emmateeling.bsky.social

Want to work with leading researchers? Research Laboratory Manager, UCD Bio and Envir. Science, Temp: UCD - Research – Biological Sciences universityvacancies.com/university-c... Closing date 12:00 noon (local Irish time) on 14/07/2025 @bjornschumacher.bsky.social @emmateeling.bsky.social

Research Laboratory Manager ERC BatProtect @ucddublin.bsky.social Societal challenges #HealthyAgeing & #InfectiousDiseases resistance Bats have extended health spans & amazing disease resistance universityvacancies.com/university-c... @bat1kgenomes.bsky.social @bjornschumacher.bsky.social