Genetic evidence that first vampires emerged less than 26 million years ago

What's this? Vampires in a New Scientist article? Oh, bats. Vampire bats have a special gene called a  plasminogen activator which keeps blood from coagulating. We have the gene too and we use it to prevent heart attack since it busts up blood clots and clears vessels.

... The first vampires, which emerged less than 26 million years ago according to genetic evidence, are closely related to insect-eating bats that may have gorged on the parasites of prehistoric beasts. "Once you're pulling insects off of a mammal, it's a very small step to going after the blood," he says.

Unlike other bats, vampire bats boast knife-sharp incisors that erupt out of their mouths. "You can actually cut yourself handling a bat skull in a museum, they're that sharp," Patterson says. Their tongues contain a specialized groove that allows a blood-meal to flow via capillary action, not sucking or slurping.

"They're absolutely amazing animals," he says. - ns