Why can bacteria adapt to antibiotics, but not adapt to environmental things like heat or acids/soaps (Salmonella as an example)?

Question

Edit: I’ve had a lot of fun reading all of your analogies

In: 64

Answer 1

Soaps bind to and remove fats. Bacteria are basically inside a container made of fats. It’s not really feasible to change their entire outer layer via natural random little variations.

It’s like asking why you can adapt to gripping a heavy barbell but not to a piano falling on your head. It’s too big a stimulus and the damage is too extreme, so it kills you every time and you can’t adapt your way anywhere near surviving it.