# Evolution of bacteria

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/evolution-of-bacteria/596550>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 16, 2011, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/evolution-of-bacteria/596550 "2011-09-16T19:44:15Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/evolution-of-bacteria/596550/1 "2011-09-16T19:44:15Z")

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Bacteria have evolved to be resistant to various antibiotics. Why haven’t strains evolved that are resistant to bleach, alcohol, or boiling?

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/evolution-of-bacteria/596550/2 "2011-09-16T19:50:15Z")

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The way in which antibiotics kill bacteria is quite subtle - by interfering with the biochemical machinery the thing- like throwing a spanner in.the works. Bleach etc is a different thing - and kills them by gross effects such as corrosion, hydrolysis, etc.

Some have evolved to survive boiling, however.

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**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/evolution-of-bacteria/596550/3 "2011-09-16T21:26:38Z")

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To resist antibiotics, you need to slightly tweak the shape of one or a few molecules. To resist heat, bleach, or alcohol, you need to restructure your biochemistry.

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**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/evolution-of-bacteria/596550/4 "2011-09-16T21:28:36Z")

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Same reasons we humans haven’t managed to evolve resistance to fire, acid bathss, or being crushed by rocks.

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/evolution-of-bacteria/596550/5 "2011-09-16T21:38:53Z")

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Antibiotics are things that kill (at least some) bacteria, but don’t kill other organisms (notably including humans). Bacteria can evolve resistance to them by becoming more chemically similar to the things that aren’t killed by antibiotics. But _everything_ is vulnerable to bleach, alcohol, and boiling.

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**Author:** ![leahcim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/b4bc9f/32.png) [@leahcim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/leahcim)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 10:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/evolution-of-bacteria/596550/6 "2011-09-16T22:08:24Z")

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> [@Mangetout](#):
>
> Some have evolved to survive boiling, however.

Surviving boiling, or surviving temperatures that would be boiling at one atmosphere pressure? I’ve heard of thermophiles that live at temperatures about 100C, but only in the context of deep sea environments where the pressure is sufficiently high to prevent boiling.

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**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\
**Post date:** [September 16, 2011, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/evolution-of-bacteria/596550/7 "2011-09-16T22:36:06Z")

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> [@leahcim](#):
>
> Surviving boiling, or surviving temperatures that would be boiling at one atmosphere pressure? I’ve heard of thermophiles that live at temperatures about 100C, but only in the context of deep sea environments where the pressure is sufficiently high to prevent boiling.

Both. Some can survive boiling as durable spores, even if they may not be able to actively reproduce in such conditions.