Re: Evolution of Bacteria: They taught this when I went to school, I guess you missed it.

If one bacterium in a colony "mutates", that does not necessarily mean it has mutated into another species of bacteria or mutated into a fungus or something else. The mutation might just change one gene or a few genes, and it might do something as simple as allowing the bacterium to better utilize whatever food source it happens to be growing in.

As for exchanging genes between organisms, even of different Kingdoms, again this could just mean different, "new and improved" characteristics for the organism, it does not necessarily mean that it then becomes a different species.

I also read the post containing a modern explanation of Dr.Enderlein's theory, and what I make of it is that what he thought were various arrangements of "protits" are now known to actually BE fungi, bacteria, and bacteriophages (viruses). Tweet