Bacteria consist of only a single cell, but dont let their small size and seeming simplicity fool you. Theyre an amazingly complex and fascinating group of creatures Bacteria have been found that can live in temperatures above the boiling point and in cold that would freeze your blood They eat"everything from sugar and starch to sunlight, sulfur and iron there's even a species of bacteria-Deinococcus radiodurans--that can withstand blasts of radiation 1,000 times greater than would kill a human being ASt Cial• Bacteria consist of only a single cell, but don't let their small size and seeming simplicity fool you. They're an amazingly complex and fascinating group of creatures. Bacteria have been found that can live in temperatures above the boiling point and in cold that would freeze your blood. They "eat" everything from sugar and starch to sunlight, sulfur and iron. There's even a species of bacteria—Deinococcus radiodurans—that can withstand blasts of radiation 1,000 times greater than would kill a human being