Dec.
20, 2012 — Bats are amazing creatures. They've been around for at least 65
million years, and in that time have become one of the most abundant and
widespread mammals on Earth.
The
Bat Pack, a team of researchers at the Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL)
in Geelong, conduct a wide range of research into bats and bat borne viruses,
and their potential effects on the human population, as part of the effort to
safeguard Australia from exotic and emerging pests and diseases.
Their
paper, published today in the journal Science, provides an insight into
the evolution of the bat's flight, resistance to viruses, and relatively long
life.
The
Bat Pack, in collaboration with the Beijing Genome Institute, led a team that
sequenced the genomes of two bat species -- the Black Flying Fox, an Australian
mega bat, and the David's Myotis, a Chinese micro bat.
Once
the genomes were sequenced, they compared them to the genomes of other mammals,
including humans, to find where the similarities and differences lay.
Chris
Cowled, post-doctoral fellow at AAHL says the research may eventually lead to
strategies to treat, or even prevent disease in humans.
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