The paper investigates immune variation in greater spear-nosed bats, finding male-biased immune ageing and stronger inflammatory responses in males and older bats.

bioRxiv · May 19, 2026 · PreprintEvolutionary Biology

Resistance to age-related hearing loss in the echolocating big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus)

Grace Capshaw, Clarice Anna Diebold, Danielle M. Adams, Jack G. Rayner, Gerald S. Wilkinson, Cynthia F. Moss, Amanda M. Lauer

This study shows that big brown bats do not experience age-related hearing loss, as evidenced by comparable hearing thresholds and cochlear structure across age groups.

Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences · Nov 1, 2024Peer-reviewedNeuroscience

Universal DNA methylation age across mammalian tissues

Ake Tzu-Hui Lu, Zhe Fei, Amin Haghani, Todd R. Robeck, Joseph Alan Zoller, Caesar Z. Li, Robert Lowe, Qi Jiang Yan, Joshua Zhang, H. Vu, Julia Ablaeva, Victoria A. Acosta-Rodríguez, Danielle M. Adams, Javier Almunia, Ajoy Aloysius, , June Mergl

The paper develops universal epigenetic clocks that accurately estimate age across mammalian tissues using DNA methylation data from 185 species.

Nature Aging · Aug 10, 2023Peer-reviewedDevelopmental Biology

Genome Methylation Predicts Age and Longevity of Bats

Gerald S. Wilkinson, Danielle M. Adams, Amin Haghani, Ake Tzu-Hui Lu, Joseph Alan Zoller, Charles E. Breeze, Bryan D. Arnold, Hope C. Ball, Gerald G. Carter, Lisa Noelle Cooper, Dina K. N. Dechmann, Paolo Devanna, Nicolas J. Fasel, Alexander V. Galazyuk, Linus Günther, , Steve Horvath

This study uses DNA methylation profiles from bats to show that age and longevity are linked to specific methylation patterns, with longevity associated with immune and cancer-related genes.

Nature Communications · Mar 12, 2021Peer-reviewedGenomics