Researchers just discovered at least four new species of African leaf-nosed bats — cousins of the horseshoe bats that served as hosts of the virus behind COVID-19. Bats play a big role in our lives — they pollinate crops, eat disease-carrying bugs, and carry diseases themselves — but we know very little about them. The more we know about bats, the better able we’re to protect them and defend ourselves against diseases that they can spread.