PubHawk
Science January 2005 PMID 15681385

A molecular phylogeny for bats illuminates biogeography and the fossil record.

Emma C Teeling, Mark S Springer, Ole Madsen, Paul Bates, Stephen J O'brien, William J Murphy

Full text PDF Download social card

Mentions

21
Peak: 2 in Mar 2022
across 5 sources since Mar 2022

Extended reach

401,502
potential audience

Total likes

11,090

Video views

368,085

Mentions per month

Mar 2022 – Sep 2025

Where it's discussed

  • News9 articles
  • Blogs5 articles
  • Facebook3 posts
  • X / Twitter2 posts
  • YouTube2 videos

AI synopsis

What people are saying

The discussions reflect strong interest in the study's insights on bat origins, as seen in references to Laurasia and Gondwana, and emphasize the research's significance, with phrases like 'suggests their superfamily' and comparisons to other geographic distributions. The tone indicates respect for the scientific findings and recognition of their broader implications.

AgreementModerate agreement

Most posts agree with the significance of the phylogenetic findings, indicating support for the conclusions about bat evolution and biogeography.

InterestHigh interest

Posts show high interest, especially in details about bat origins and fossil record implications, demonstrating curiosity about the research.

EngagementModerate engagement

Discussions reference specific concepts like Laurasia and Gondwana, suggesting moderate engagement with the scientific content.

ImpactModerate impact

Posts highlight the importance of the study for understanding biodiversity and evolutionary history, suggesting a meaningful impact.

Abstract in brief

  • The study presents a detailed molecular phylogeny for all living bat families, revealing that megabats are nested within microbat lineages that originated about 52 to 50 million years ago during the early Eocene, a period of significant global climate warming and biodiversity increase.
  • The research suggests that bats likely originated in Laurasia (possibly North America), with three of the four major microbat lineages also coming from Laurasia and one from Gondwana, highlighting diverse geographic origins.
  • By analyzing fossil records and molecular data, the authors estimate that the actual evolutionary history of bats is much longer than the fossil record indicates, with an average underestimation of 73% and a total missing fossil history accounting for 61%, implying much of bat evolution is still hidden in the fossil record.]
Read the full abstract

Top posts

Most liked on X and Bluesky
StoneLab_ASU
@StoneLab_ASU · X

Molecular phylogeny for Lesser New Zealand Short-tailed Bat (known as Pekapeka in Te Reo Māori) suggests their superfamily Noctilionoidea originated in Gondwana & has similar global distribution to flightless ratite birds inc. New Zealand kiwi #2022MMM https://t.co/L8y8ai6Kgv https://t.co/qPu2pGaYSL

Mar 17, 2022 · 6 likes · 1 share · 2,301 followers View post →
March Mammal Madness
@MMMletsgo · X

RT @StoneLab_ASU: Molecular phylogeny for Lesser New Zealand Short-tailed Bat (known as Pekapeka in Te Reo Māori) suggests their superfamil…

Mar 17, 2022 · 1 share · 31,113 followers View post →

All mentions

March Mammal Madness
@MMMletsgo · X

RT @StoneLab_ASU: Molecular phylogeny for Lesser New Zealand Short-tailed Bat (known as Pekapeka in Te Reo Māori) suggests their superfamil…

Mar 17, 2022 · 1 share · 31,113 followers View post →
StoneLab_ASU
@StoneLab_ASU · X

Molecular phylogeny for Lesser New Zealand Short-tailed Bat (known as Pekapeka in Te Reo Māori) suggests their superfamily Noctilionoidea originated in Gondwana & has similar global distribution to flightless ratite birds inc. New Zealand kiwi #2022MMM https://t.co/L8y8ai6Kgv https://t.co/qPu2pGaYSL

Mar 17, 2022 · 6 likes · 1 share · 2,301 followers View post →