Genetic Adaptations of Bats: Could We Duplicate Their Disease-Resistant Abilities?
Bats, often shrouded in mystery and intrigue, are one of the most fascinating creatures on Earth. These nocturnal mammals, found in nearly every biome, have captivated scientists for centuries with their unique wing structures, impossibly acrobatic flight, and remarkable resistance to cancer.
Paul Webala, a wildlife biologist at Maasai Mara University, is building an acoustic library of the calls of Kenyan bats to better understand the status, movements, and locations of different species. His work is part of a larger global effort to unravel the secrets of these winged wonders.
One researcher who has made significant strides in this field is Sharon Swartz, a biologist and professor at Brown University. Originally a primate researcher, Swartz was captivated by the structure of bat wings and the evolutionary trade-offs necessary for mammals to take flight. Her studies led her to Australia, where she observed flying foxes and witnessed hundreds of bats lift off from a suburban golf course.
The connection between bat flight and their resistance to cancer is a subject of ongoing research. The intense metabolic demands of bat flight generate DNA damage through oxidative stress. However, bats have evolved extreme DNA damage tolerance mechanisms to cope with this oxidative stress, which also appear to contribute to their notable cancer resistance.
Research suggests that bats possess unique genetic and immune system features linked to both their anti-viral defenses and cancer resistance. Their exceptional immune responses, potentially connected to genes involved in flight metabolism, allow them to survive DNA damage and resist tumors.
However, not all is well for bats. Overharvesting of agave plants threatens nectar-feeding bats, while a warming planet poses a danger to large fruit bats in Australia, as they don't roost in caves and extreme heat can kill them. Moreover, white-nose disease has killed vast numbers of North American bats, and hundreds of thousands of bats die each year from wind turbines in the U.S.
Despite these challenges, organisations like Bat Conservation International are working tirelessly to monitor threatened species and reduce bat deaths from wind turbines. Emma Teeling, a co-founder of Bat1K and a professor at University College Dublin, is among those dedicated to understanding and preserving these incredible creatures.
Teeling hypothesizes that flight led bats to evolve unusual immune systems, which in turn led to longevity and resistance to cancer. However, this hypothesis is not yet proven and is met with skepticism by some researchers. Swartz herself admits that there are more unanswered questions than things that she understands about bats.
Yet, for researchers like Teeling and Swartz, the allure of bats remains undiminished. Teeling still feels moved when she steps into a space with bats and hears "the rustle of those wings and that breath of air as the animal is going by." For Swartz, the magic is in the mystery, as she continues to explore the beauty and scientific wonders of these enigmatic creatures.
In the words of Rodrigo Medellín, a senior professor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico's Institute of Ecology, it is not fair that such useful animals should have such a bad reputation. He believes we owe it to bats to treat them right, and perhaps, in doing so, we might just learn a thing or two from these extraordinary flying mammals.
