The Biomolecule Sequencer project is underway at NASA, where a team of scientists and engineers are preparing to perform DNA in space for the first time.  NASA quotes its ‘Science Objectives for everyone’ as follows:

“Living organisms contain DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, and sequencing DNA is a powerful way to understand how they respond to changing environments. The Biomolecule Sequencer investigation seeks to demonstrate, for the first time, that DNA sequencing is feasible in an orbiting spacecraft. A space-based DNA sequencer could identify microbes, diagnose diseases and understand crew member health, and potentially help detect DNA-based life elsewhere in the universe.”

Throughout 2016, scientists will be preparing to perform DNA sequencing on the International Space Station, using the MinION DNA sequencer from Oxford Nanopore Technologies.

We invite you to visit this blog, which follows the progress of the project.