• Question: how come bacteria can evolve so quickly?

    Asked by chelss to Ed, Sam, Steve, Vera on 22 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Vera Weisbecker

      Vera Weisbecker answered on 22 Jun 2011:

      Bacteria evolve quickly because they divide at such a rapid rate. If bacterial division wasn’t kept in check by competing bacteria, the “offspring” of a single cell would cover the whole planet in just a few days! The huge mass of bacteria means that there is lots of opportunities for mutation. Once a mutation happens, and it happens to be a successful mutation (like antibiotics resistance), it gets passed on quickly because the bacteria divide so fast. Bacteria can also transfer resistance genes between each other when they reproduce, which means that a successful genetic feature will very quickly become very common.

    • Photo: Steven Daly

      Steven Daly answered on 22 Jun 2011:

      what Vera said.

      Bacteria are quite cool, when you think about it!

    • Photo: Sam Tazzyman

      Sam Tazzyman answered on 22 Jun 2011:

      One important thing, as Vera says, is that bacteria can transfer genes from one to another. This can be very bad, because if a harmless type of bacteria evolves antibiotic resistance, it could pass its resistance gene on to a more dangerous type of bacteria!

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