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A group of scientists at the University of Colorado School of Medicine recently released the first comprehensive study of the microbiological makeup of the New York City subway system. Their finding? The air underground contains pretty much the same amount of human skin microbes (and other stuff) as the air outside.

The study is based on samples taken from various subway stations, including the Union Square and Bowling Green stations, at three different points in 2007 and 2008. According to a summary of the experiment, the similarity between outdoor and underground air particle makeup “indicates good air mixing, a testimony to the efficiency of the train pumping system.”

Approximately fice percent of RNA sequences analyzed correspond to human skin bacterial sequences. Most of the particles were fungi and bacteria, and while there was complex diversity at lower taxonomic levels, the major groups were “remarkably simple”—of about 100 known bacterial phyla, only four were found.

The report “identified few associations” in the bacterial diversity between subway stations and at different testing times—basically, there’s relatively no correlation between particle makeup at different stations or at different times of year, so you’re breathing pretty much the same air everywhere.

It might be kind of gross, but at least we know we’re taking in the same particles on crowded subway platforms as we are outside, right? Plus, we can all breathe easy because the study didn’t find any organisms that could be harmful to the public.

While this study doesn’t reveal anything shocking about the air we’re breathing underground, it does provide a clear account of “pre-event conditions”—in the case of a bioterrorist attack, these findings could help us determine air quality impacts, and can help monitor the changes due to recent subway flooding after Superstorm Sandy.

And now it’s getting blamed for ruining riders’ relationships.

According to a piece by Meredith Hoffman of DNAinfo, the G train's unreliable service and limited route is negatively impacting Brooklynites’ dating lives.

"I had to make a rule that was, literally, if you live off the G you're not for me," said one Bed-Stuy resident, Mutale Nkonde, who lives near the A and C trains. “To get to the G is such a monumental hike, it's two buses plus a long walk."

The piece quotes a number of Brooklynites who have ended relationships due to the G train commute, or have even sworn off G Train dating altogether.

Add to this a bit of a sketchy aesthetic, and the G train hardly puts riders in the mood for consensual lovin’.

"When you get there [to the Myrtle-Willoughby station] it looks Law and Order-ish. It looks like a crime scene,” added Ms. Nkonde.

An MTA spokesperson allegedly declined to comment, presumably because the MTA has better things to do than speculate wildly on their riders’ dating lives. Like, oh, I don’t know, FIX THE GODDAMN G-TRAIN!?

Clinton Hill resident Alex Saba takes the G to visit her boyfriend who lives in Greenpoint, but told DNAinfo that the train has impeded the possibility of “casual get-togethers.”

"He lives 3 miles away and it takes 45 minutes, at a minimum, to get there," said Ms. Saba. “I'm glad it's there but it's still a huge pain."

If you were doubting that the testimonies of a couple of random Brooklynites points to a larger dating trend, then doubt no more: there are even viral videos (2,466 views!) to support the cause. Specifically, a YouTube video Called “The Brooklyn Date,” created by Tyler Fischer, depicts a couple’s magical date reaching a bitter end when the woman asks the man back to her G train apartment.

Poor, poor G train. Hopefully the MTA will make good on their vague chatter about fixing G service and, subsequently, enhance  romantic prospects for vast un-dateable swaths of the borough's population.

For now, Brooklynites, if you’re looking for your Sliding Doors romance, stick to the L train.

These ads include smokers with gruesomely amputated fingers, fat oozing out of soda bottles and sobbing babies born to teen mothers bemoaning their hypothetical lack of high school educations. Help us, Doctor Zizmor!

So with the city’s new ads to cut salt consumption, the possibilities for scaring the pants off New Yorkers were seemingly endless. How about some x-rays of salt molecules burning holes in various internal organs? Or, like, a giant anthropomorphic pretzel beating the shit out of someone with a salt-shaker?

Instead, the new subway ads rolled out this week have taken something of the opposite tack, reminding New Yorkers to, you know, read the labels on stuff. Labels? That's some scary stuff, bro.

The new ads feature two loaves of bread and a zoomed in image of the labels on the packaging, one which has higher sodium content. The tag-line advises New Yorkers to “Compare Labels. Choose Less Sodium."

Yeah, cause nothing gets New Yorkers to change their habits like percentages, sciencey words, and having to read stuff.

More conscientious passengers than ever before are turning in lost property they've found stuffed under the subways and between bus seats, according to the New York Post. The uptick means that more forgetful riders are being reunited with their belongings.

The New York City Transit’s Lost Property Unit recently reported that in 2012, 24,445 items, ranging from cell phones to wallets to yes, even engagement rings, were handed in to the MTA. This number has been increasing steadily—23,223 items were turned in 2011, compared with just 22,835 in 2009.

The MTA also reported returning 8,093 items to owners last year, compared to 7,438 in 2011.

The increase is all thanks to the MTA’s online lost and found claim system, which was implemented in 2009. When transit riders lose an item, they file a report with the LPU, a team of eight working in an office Penn Station—an underground lost item menagerie where drawers, filing cabinets and closets are teeming with unclaimed cameras, headphones and the like.

Of course, the LPU also sees some pretty weird stuff—everything from musical instruments to vacuum cleaners. In 2011 the Village Voice reported MTA workers have picked up teeth and prosthetic limbs. Most recently, the LPU has received several animal carriers sans pets. They also tend to get a pretty hefty sum of unclaimed cash.

Most lost items are pretty run-of-the-mill: iPhones, Kindles, wallets, etc.—items their owners never expect to see again. But, as LPU supervisor William Bonner told the Post, "There’s a lot of honest people.” Perhaps, or maybe thieves are just getting lazier?

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Straphangers have lost their lives underground at an alarming rate—and if the trend continues, more than 100 New Yorkers will perish by the end of the year. Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, who sounded the alarm about the startling statistic, wants the MTA to investigate the impending danger.

"Too many people are dying in our subways," Mr. Stringer said. "It is time to gain a deeper understanding of why this is happening with such regularity, and to explore possible preventative steps."

With commuters faced with the gruesome reality of two platform-pushing fatalities in December, three deaths this weekend and a suicide Tuesday, the topic needs to be addressed, Mr. Stringer said.

He wants the MTA Inspector General to examine the subway related injuries and deaths and to look into implementing subway safety measures already used across the world.

"Our subway system is one of the largest and most traveled in the world, but we must also make it the safest," he said.

There have already been six subway related deaths in 2013, according to Mr. Stringer's office, putting New York City on track to lose more than nearly double last year's toll.

In 2012, 55 people were killed after being hit by trains, many of them suicides, said the NY Post.

The Transport Workers Union Local 100, the union that represents the majority of MTA workers, has taken matters into their own hands, according to the NY Times. Last month, the TWU distributed  fliers to train operators urging them to slow down in an effort to prevent accidents.

In the letter to MTA Inspector General Barry L. Kruger, Mr. Stringer called for a "comprehensive analysis of available safety programs and features" used around the world such as platform barriers and safety doors, "a breakdown of the frequency, type and volume of MTA audio warnings," and "internal MTA data on the number of suicide attempts within the subway system."

Mr. Stringer also requested the MTA to address the effect of subway-related deaths on the mental health of MTA workers.

"These recent fatalities have created an almost palpable sense of apprehension among straphangers in our City," Mr. Stringer said. "I urge the Inspector General to conduct a comprehensive assessment of these issues, so that we can take intelligent, cost-effective steps to reduce these preventable deaths."

The origin of the Subway saga. (Matt Corby Via Facebook)

Home of the $5 footlong, Subway has found itself sandwiched between two lawsuits. Three New Jersey men are suing the sandwich giant for defrauded their customers by selling "Footlong" sandwiches that were anything but, according to the NY Post.

Used-car dealer and Subway devotee Jason Leslie of Marboro, NJ, is one of the disatisfied customers.

"They advertise in all these commercials, ‘Footlong, Footlong, Footlong,’ and now I feel like an idiot," the man who claims to have eaten 50 subs a year said to the Post. "I can’t believe I fell for that trick."

Mr. Leslie told the Post that the sandwiches range from being a half-inch to an inch shorter than they claim.

His attorneys filed a federal-class action suit, estimating that a quarter of Subway's revenue comes from Footlong sub sales, totaling $2.85 billion a year, according to the Post.

Assuming that each Footlong is at least a half-inch short of a foot, Mr. Leslie's lawyers told the Post, five percent of Subway's total revenue, or $142.5 million, represents "unfair and deceptive" revenue.

The Post says a second lawsuit was filed Tuesday against the sandwich chain also alleging false advertising. Lawyer Stephen DeNittis, who represents Charles Pendrak and John Farley, told the Post, “A foot is 12 inches. They call it the 'Footlong', making people believe they’re getting a foot-long sandwich. If they were calling it the ‘Big Sandwich,’ or the ‘Big Kahuna,’ this case wouldn’t have been filed.” Mr. DeNittis told the Post he'll seek compensation and  “either get [Subway] to sell sandwiches that are foot long, or get them to put up a disclaimer, similar to what McDonald’s does with its Quarter Pounder.”

Mr. DeNittis told the Post he even hired an investigator to measure sandwiches at 17 Subways near his Marlton, NJ office and found that all purchased Footlong subs came in under 12 inches.

The Post conducted their own sandwich reconnaissance on Jan. 17 and found that at Subway locations in Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Queens, four out of seven footlongs measured 11 or 11.5 inches.

The sandwich saga and ensuing lawsuit fervor comes after an an Australian customer posted a Facebook photo of a subpar sub by along with the plea "subway pls respond."

On the Subway Australia Facebook page, a Jan. 13 thread promoting their free avocado for their Subway Eat Fresh Club has spawned an etymological and existential controversy over whether the "Footlong" name should be taken literally or figuratively.

On the same thread, Subway Australia issued this statement on Jan. 16

"Looking at the photo doing the rounds showing a slightly undersized sub, this bread clearly is not baked to our standards. We have policies in place to ensure that our freshly baked bread is consistent and has the same great taste no matter which Subway restaurant around the world you visit.

With regards to the size of the bread and calling it a footlong, “SUBWAY FOOTLONG” is a registered trademark as a descriptive name for the sub sold in Subway® Restaurants and not intended to be a measurement of length. The length of the bread baked in the restaurant cannot be assured each and every time as the proofing process may vary slightly each time in the restaurant."

(Getty)

Reports from the scene indicate a man struck by the N train in Midtown on Monday may have been pushed. The incident occurred in the 49th Street and 7th Avenue subway station around 12:30 p.m., after the victim fell from the platform. He tried to climb to safety but didn't make it. He was transported to Roosevelt Hospital, where he later died from his injuries.

The station was evacuated after the incident and N, Q and R trains from all directions directed to bypass the 49th Street Station.

Witnesses say the man may have fallen onto the tracks during a confrontation. According to Gothamist, some witnesses "were so traumatized by what they saw" that they too were taken to the hospital.

CBS New York reports police are studying security video from the scene in addition to interviewing witnesses.

They are seeking a 20-something person of interest the CBS affiliate describes as "a black male, who was wearing a white t-shirt, a down coat and a beanie-style cap."

Click to enlarge or click here for the full .PDF

At a press conference at the 69th Regiment Armory in Manhattan this morning, Governor Andrew Cuomo and MTA Chairman Joe Lhota announced most subway service in New York City will be returned by the end of the day. Notably for some commuters from Queens and Brooklyn, trains will now be traveling into Manhattan for the first time since before Hurricane Sandy struck last week.

"In literally under one week, 80% of the subway service has been restored from what was horrendous damage, and the worst damage the subway system had ever seen," Mr. Cuomo said. "So that is just a great, great job. The service between Brooklyn and Queens and Manhattan is being restored immediately. The 4, 5, 6 and 7 trains will immediately begin to run. The F, J, D [and] M will run later this afternoon. The Staten Island Railway will have limited service beginning later today."

According to the MTA website:

 service will operate between Woodlawn and New Lots Ave operating as an express in Manhattan only.

 service will operate between Eastchester/Dyre Ave and Flatbush as an express in Manhattan only.

 service will operate between Pelham Bay and Brooklyn Bridge as a local

 Flushing Line service will operate full local service between Main St – Flushing and 42^nd St – Times Square.

Staten Island Railway (SIR) will operate limited hourly service between St. George and Tottenville.

Click to view the subway map in full. (Photo: MTA)

At a press conference late in the night, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced New Yorkers in the metropolitan area will have their public transit fares waved for the rest of the week. Of course, traveling into Lower Manhattan won't be easy for Thursday, at least, where no subways are currently scheduled to travel.

"As a further encouragement to have people take mass transit, which is coming online piece by piece," Mr. Cuomo began, citing the intensive traffic congestion problems plaguing Manhattan earlier today. "I am declaring a transportation emergency and authorizing the MTA to waive fares...through the end of the week, Thursday and Friday. So commuter rails, subways and buses."

The governor acknowledged the ride, although free, might not necessarily be pleasant, given the demand.

"The service in many cases is limited; the service in many cases will be crowded because of the volume, which is an additional reason why we feel comfortable waiving the fare through Thursday and Friday," he added. "We hope it encourages people to take mass transit."

Providing more detail, MTA Chairman Joe Lhota said subway service for many stations will return at 6 a.m. and commuters from Queens and the Bronx will be able to use it as far as the northern part of Midtown. Brooklynites will likely need the assistance of buses.

"There are three locations where they will stop," he said. "One at the Barclay's Center, where there are buses available to take the passengers directly into Midtown, Manhattan; one at Metrotech, at the Jay Street terminal, that will also take people into Midtown, Manhattan; and then in Williamsburg at the Hewes station. We are using 330 buses that will be used to shuttle the folks in Brooklyn back and forth, it's a whole flotilla of buses that will be there."

Additionally, Mr. Lhota repeatedly stressed the need for patience and tolerance as the city's public transportation system comes back online.

"It's my expectation that we'll have more service on Friday, every day we'll come back with more and more service, it's what we want to do," he  continued. "I would like to ask all New Yorkers who are on the subway system, to ask for their understanding. The system is going to be a little bit different. The trains aren't going to be as frequent, there will be crowding. So, if there's any opportunity for you to leave early or leave later than your normal hours...just bear with us as we come back from what I've described as the most devastating event to ever happen to the MTA."

Update 11/1 8:22:As of Friday morning, there will be service on the M and No. 7 trains has been restored in Queens and Brooklyn, though there is still no subway service into Lower Manhattan. You can read more about the changes to the service here.

Original post: At a press conference earlier this afternoon, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and MTA Chairman Joe Lhota announced that New York City's subway system will restore service on a number of lines, leaving out a swath of territory south of 34th Street in Manhattan. Lower Manhattan was left out, they explained, because of the mass power outage in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.

"It's been an extraordinary amount of time and a lot of work and a lot of lack of sleep, but we're going to continue to do it," Mr. Lhota said. "Our goal is to, every day, get this service back to normal, back to the situation we were used to last week, and if not, even better."

View the working transportation lines below, including other parts of the MTA, courtesy of Mr. Cuomo's office:

Effective before rush hour tomorrow morning, the following is an up-to-date service status list of the MTA operating agencies including New York City Transit, Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North and Bridges and Tunnels.

NYCT SUBWAY SERVICE:
1 trains will operate local between 242nd Street (Bronx) and Times Square-42nd Street.

2 trains will operate between 241st Street (Bronx) and Times Square-42nd Street, with express service between 96th Street and Times Square.

3 trains are suspended.

4 trains will operate in two sections making all local stops:
· Between Woodlawn (Bronx) and Grand Central-42nd Street
· Between Borough Hall and New Lots Avenue
5 trains will operate express in Brooklyn between Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center and Flatbush Avenue.

6 trains will operate local between Pelham Bay Park and Grand Central-42nd Street.

7 trains are suspended.

42nd Street Shuttle S trains will operate between Times Square and Grand Central.

A trains will operate in two sections making all local stops:
· Between 168th Street (Manhattan) and 34th Street-Penn Station
· Between Jay Street/MetroTech and Lefferts Blvd.

B and C service is suspended.

D trains operate in two sections:
· Between 205th Street (Bronx) and 34th Street-Herald Square making all local stops
· In Brooklyn, between Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center and Bay Parkway making express stops between Pacific Street and 36th Street

E trains are suspended.

F trains operate in two sections making all local stops:
· Between 179th Street (Queens) and 34th Street-Herald Square
· In Brooklyn, between Jay Street-MetroTech and Avenue X

G trains are suspended.

J trains operate between Jamaica Center and Hewes Street making all local stops.

L trains operate between Broadway Junction and rockaway Parkway making all local stops.

M trains operate between Myrtle Avenue-Broadway and Metropolitan Avenue.

N trains operate between Ditmars Blvd. (Queens) and 34th Street-Herald Square making all local stops.

Q trains are suspended.

R trains operate in Brooklyn between Jay Street-MetroTech and 95th Street making all local stops.

Both the Franklin Avenue and Rockaway Park S shuttles are suspended.

SHUTTLE BUSES:
All shuttle buses will operate north on 3rd Avenue and south on Lexington Avenue.
1. Between Atlantic Avenue-Barclays Center and 57th Street-Lexington Avenue via the Manhattan Bridge
2. Between Jay Street-MetroTech and 57th Street-Lexington Avenue via the Manhattan Bridge
3. Between Hewes Street and 57th Street-Lexington Avenue via the Williamsburg Bridge

LONG ISLAND RAIL ROAD:
City Terminal – (Jamaica - Penn Station): Suspended (anticipate shuttle between these stations later tonight)

Ronkonkoma Branch: Suspended (goal to restore hourly service from Ronkonkoma to Penn Station for AM rush hour Thursday, Nov. 1)

Port Washington Branch: Suspended (goal to restore hourly service from Great Neck to Penn Station for AM rush hour Thursday, Nov. 1)

Babylon Branch: Suspended

Port Jefferson Branch: Suspended

Montauk Branch: Suspended

Hempstead Branch: Suspended

Long Beach: Suspended

Far Rockaway: Suspended

Oyster Bay Branch: Suspended

West Hempstead: Suspended

METRO-NORTH:
Hudson Line: Suspended

Upper Harlem Line: Suspended

Lower Harlem Line: Restored with hourly service

New Haven Line: Suspended

New Canaan Branch: Suspended

Danbury Branch: Suspended

Waterbury Branch: Suspended

West-of-Hudson:
Pascack Valley: Suspended
Port Jervis: Suspended
Bridges and Tunnels

Robert F. Kennedy Bridge: Open

Henry Hudson Bridge: Open

Throgs Neck Bridge: Open

Bronx-Whitestone Bridge: Open

Verrazano-Narrows Bridge: Open

Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge: Open

Cross Bay Veterans Memorial: Open northbound to Broad Chanel; Open southbound to Rockaways but subject to period closures for emergency equipment

Hugh L. Carey Tunnel: Closed

Queens Midtown Tunnel: Closed