Researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College have spent the last 18 months scouring the New York Subway in the search for a DNA profile of the system. They even created a map of the 15,152 microbes they found.
If you think of New York City as a place where anything can happen, you probably weren't thinking that contracting Bubonic Plague from a handrail at a subway stop as one of them. But researchers from Weill Cornell Medical College recently set out to map the kind of microbes they found in the New York Subway as part of an intensive research project combining "big data," public health, and public transit.
Robert Lee Holtz reports on the project for the Wall Street Journal (which means there might be a paywall blocking access to the story): "The big-data project, the first genetic profile of a metropolitan transit system, is in many ways 'a mirror of the people themselves who ride the subway,' said Dr. Mason, a geneticist at the Weill Cornell Medical College."
Meghan Holohan also covers the study for NBC News. According to Holohan, "Weill Cornell researchers attempted to identify all 15,152 microbes for a PathoMap, which could be used to track infectious disease outbreaks."
Andrew M. Seaman also covered the story for Reuters.
Lastly, Science Daily also has an abstract detailing the methodology and some of the findings of the study.
Mapping the World of Bacteria Alive in the World's Subways
A project launched several years ago in New York City is making its way to cities around the world—much like the bacteria that the world's billions of transit users transfer around the surfaces of subway trains, stations, and buses.
Poorest NYC Neighborhoods Pay Price for Delivery Boom
The rise of ‘last-mile’ e-commerce warehouses — and their attendant truck traffic and air pollution — is disproportionately impacting the most historically disadvantaged parts of the city.
Study: Building Pollution Contributing to Poor Air Quality in NYC
Pollutants from methane, propane, and fuel oil are on the rise, leading to a growing public health crisis.
Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.
Half of Post-Fire Altadena Home Sales Were to Corporations
Large investors are quietly buying up dozens of properties in Altadena, California, where a devastating wildfire destroyed more than 6,000 homes in January.
Opinion: What San Francisco’s Proposed ‘Family Zoning’ Could Really Mean
Mayor Lurie is using ‘family zoning’ to encourage denser development and upzoning — but could the concept actually foster community and more human-scale public spaces?
Jacksonville Launches First Autonomous Transit Shuttle in US
A fleet of 14 fully autonomous vehicles will serve a 3.5-mile downtown Jacksonville route with 12 stops.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont