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

Adaptation is mostly a result of mutation. Since bacteria reproduce so fast the can mutate and adapt quickly. As for why heat and radiation are harder to adapt too. It’s mostly because of the amount on energy. Heat and radiation are far more energy than chemicals.

This is very summarized. The truth of it is multiple independent fields of research.