Cold and flu season can have even the least mysophobic among us looking askance at that subway pole, so we thought it might be a good time to revisit this conversation, with a scientist who actually took a very close look at what is really there.

Back in 2013, Dr. Christopher Mason and his team swabbed a bunch of stations and sequenced the DNA of whatever they found, in order to try to map the microbiome of New York City.

Mason said, yes, any time you're in close proximity with sick people, your risk of getting sick also goes up. Still, there are reasons to be optimistic about your chances on the subway.

The main one? Humidity. When it's cold and dry outside, it's likely to be somewhat more humid on the subway. Coughing and sneezing expel tiny particles into the air, but water vapor can accumulate on those particles, weighing them down. Those heavy droplets fall to the ground much faster, and might not make it to you. Outside where it's cold and dry, on the other hand, watch out. Those particles just fly free.

While Mason still advised common sense measures, he basically said: Don't freak out. You're probably going to be just fine.

"Get your flu shot, make sure you wash your hands, especially if you have touched something mysterious, and in general, go forth with hope and optimism that most of the time when you grab that pole you should be just fine."

Go forth, and good luck.