Bats likely originated 65 million years ago in Europe, after dinosaurs went extinct

A study published in journal Nature suggests bats most likely originated in Europe around 65 million years ago, challenging earlier hypotheses that placed their origins in Africa, Asia or North America. This places bat origins shortly after the mass extinction of non-avian dinosaurs 66 million years ago. Researchers combined genomes from 103 living bat species with evidence from 44 fossils.