At this very moment the SpaceX’s Dragon cargo craft is on it's way to dock the International Space Station. Part of the cargo is a tiny DNA sequencer, called the MinION, which will be used to sequence DNA under microgravity for the first time.
Reading the DNA code is called sequencing, which is typically performed by washing-machine sized (or bigger) devices which are called sequencers. For this reason all DNA testing in space required collecting samples and returning them to earth, but this is all going to change.
The MinION
The MinION sequencer is a USB sized sequencing device which has proven to work for sequencing of various organisms and viruses. The sequencing technique used in the MinION sequencer is called Nanopore sequencing, and has actually been invented in 1989. Calling something an invention and getting the technique to work are two totally different things, so the technique is still in some kind of Beta phase.
Nanopore sequencing works by pulling single stranded DNA through a nano-scale pore. The individual building-blocks which are the coding letters of the DNA disturb the Ion current. The signal can be interpreted to identify the composition of the molecule.
Sequencing in Space
Kate Rubins an astronaut with a background in microbiology will perform the DNA research. She entered the International Space center last week with the new crew. The focus of the research will microbes in the space station, analyzing the DNA of fellow astronauts for genetic changes and mainly just prove how well the machine operates under micro-gravity.
If sequencing in space will be an possibility, it won't be long before the next Mars Rover will be equipped with one.
Launch of the SpaceX Dragon containing the MinION:
https://twitter.com/NASA/status/754711516067266560
A post about the SpaceX Falcon Landing:
https://steemit.com/science/@dan457/spacex-falcon-9-first-stage-lands-on-land-successfully-amazing
#Space #DNA #Sequencing #NanoPore #MinION #ISS #NASA #science #technology