DNA damage repair is a trait that is strongly associated with longevity across mammals; since mutations introduced by DNA damage and low-fidelity repair can cause cancer, avoiding mutations - and thus, avoiding cancer - is a requirement for a long, healthy life. In 2022, Cagan et al. directly demonstrated that lifespan is inversely related to somatic mutation frequency across terrestrial mammals - however, there were no bats in this study. As the longest-lived group of mammals, and one of the most diverse clades in terms of lifespan and other life history traits, there is an opportunity to understand how rates and patterns of somatic mutations have evolved using this group.
