Bats are biological oddities: they harbor dangerous viruses without getting sick, rarely develop cancer, and live far longer than their size predicts. New research decoding Myotis bat genomes reveals how these traits are genetically intertwined.
Scientists assembled and analyzed the genomes of eight Myotis bat species, publishing in Nature. They found a genome-wide over-representation of positive selection in genes that interact with DNA viruses, and elevated copy-number changes in genes tied to RNA viruses — signatures of an immune system tuned by constant viral pressure. One striking example: the antiviral gene EIF2AK2 (PKR) appears in multiple copies in some Myotis bats, versus a single copy in most mammals. Little brown bats also showed unusual DNA-damage responses to high doses of chemotherapy drugs.
Why the traits are linked
“Pathogen adaptation, longevity, and cancer resistance — they are fundamentally linked,” said lead researcher Elise Lauterbur of the University of Vermont, whose team (with Penn State) sampled tissue via gentle wing biopsies rather than harvesting organs. Many of the virus-adapted genes also play roles in longevity and tumor suppression.
Why it matters
Understanding how bats juggle viral tolerance, cancer resistance and long life could point to new angles on human aging and disease prevention — not by copying bats, but by learning which genetic pathways nature has already optimized. It’s basic science, but the kind that seeds future therapeutic ideas.