Section 1
The Rise of Superbugs
Key Idea
The principles of Natural Selection apply to all living things, including microscopic bacteria. We can explain the global health crisis of "antibiotic resistance" using the exact same model used for newts and sticklebacks.
- Variation via Mutation: In any large population of bacteria, random mutations occur constantly. By chance, a few bacteria might possess a mutation that makes them resistant to a specific medicine, while the rest are vulnerable.