First virus-hunter in space to test DNA sequencing device at the ISS

NASA astronaut Kate Rubins, who arrived at the International Space Station (ISS) earlier this month, was trained as a professional virus-hunter. She has conducted research on Ebola, smallpox and other deadly viruses on Earth before becoming the 60th woman to fly to the orbiting laboratory.
She is set to become the first virus-hunter in space who will attempt to conduct the first full-blown DNA sequencing in orbit.
Rubins will use a DNA sequencer, a pocket-sized device that reveals the order of chemical building blocks along a DNA strand. The device is to be brought to the ISS by the latest SpaceX cargo delivery, which is set for launch from Cape Canaveral early Monday morning.
Rubins' work at the ISS will involve harmless test samples: a virus, bacteria and a mouse genome. Researchers initially wanted to use "extreme and bizarre" samples for the space experiments, but they eventually settled to well-sequenced and well-understood genome to make comparisons easy.
The device may shed light on the nature of a mysterious fungus that currently grows on the inside of a door on the space station. Wallace said that knowing whether the fungus is benign or something that should raise concern could help microbiologists determine what to do to deal with it.

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