Bacteria are thriving in Beijing’s smog VCG/VCG via Getty Images

Bacteria are feeding and multiplying in the severe smogs that regularly blanket Chinese cities. The microorganisms could pose a threat in themselves and may also change the composition of the haze.

China’s capital Beijing is regularly smothered in a thick, toxic haze that forms as a result of coal burning, vehicle exhausts and other sources. It is worst in winter, when weather patterns trap pollution over the city. China has cracked down on emitters, and in 2018 emissions fell 12 per cent, but there is a long …