Houston, we have a podcast. Welcome to the official podcast of the NASA Johnson Space Center, episode 50 DNA sequencing.

I'm Gary Jordan and I'll be your host today.

On this podcast we bring in the experts, NASA scientists, engineers, and astronauts all to let you

know the coolest information about what's going on right here at NASA.

So today we're talking about DNA sequencing on board the International Space Station with Dr.

Sarah Wallace. First a little background. DNA stands for

deoxy ribonucleic acid. This basically serves as a blueprint for any organism.

DNA provides detailed instructions on how to make a living thing what it is, whether it's a banana tree, bunny rabbit, or a human being.

DNA sequencing is when you take a small sample of a living thing, such as a mold from the kitchen sink or cheek cells from your mouth

and extract the DNA from the cells. Then you determine the order of the nucleotide

bases. This is the order then that's matched with the patterns of known organisms.

30 years ago, first generation DNA sequencing machines could easily take up an entire

laboratory's worth of space.

Now we're using a sequencer on the International Space Station

that can literally fit inside of a pocket. So today we're talking with Dr.

Sarah Wallace who was instrumental in developing this sequencer as part of a

multi-center effort led right here at the Johnson Space Center.

I'm particularly excited about this interview because DNA sequencing can be used for all

sorts of beneficial things in space, from monitoring the crew members' health to identifying microbes and even

potentially detecting life in the solar system. So with no further delay let's go

light speed and jump right ahead to our talk with Dr Sarah Wallace.

Enjoy. T-minus, seconds, and county.

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