How to survive boiling water(taxa.substack.com)
475 points by cainxinth 4 days ago | 112 comments
tl;dr: A microbiologist grew bacteria from Bigelow's probiotic tea and confirmed via PCR that BC30 (Bacillus coagulans) survives boiling water because it's a heat-resistant spore-forming organism. However, a properly steeped cup yields only ~30,000 CFUs—0.003% of the 1 billion CFU dose used in clinical trials—raising doubts about whether such probiotic products deliver meaningful benefits, especially given conflicting evidence about GI tract survival and undefined targets for a "healthy" microbiome.
HN Discussion:
  • Fact-checking a specific claim in the article about antibiotic prescription rates
  • Praising the author's storytelling style and enjoyable read
  • Sharing related anecdotes about resilient microbes and spore-forming bacteria
  • Extending the article's skepticism by questioning proper experimental design for probiotic efficacy
  • Asking clarifying questions about methodology choices like home-steeping and cold brew results