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From the article: "A space-based DNA sequencer would be an important tool to help protect astronaut health during long duration missions on the journey to Mars,
by smb06 10y ago
From the article: "A space-based DNA sequencer would be an important tool to help protect astronaut health during long duration missions on the journey to Mars, and future explorers could also potentially use the technology to identify DNA-based life forms beyond Earth."
I would say any amount of money is worth that. This is an extremely valuable research to let us understand more about life in space.
- dekhn 10y agoyes, I too know how to write vacuous PR. You don't need sequencers to protect astronaut health - Sequencing for medical tech on earth is barely valuable. At best, you might be able to identify a particular type of cancer, and treat it better - if you filled your precious cargo with a bunch of different anticancer pharmaceuticals. As for using a DNA sequencer to identify DNA-based life forms beyond Earth: that's one of the stupidest ideas that Craig Venter has ever proposed. We have zero prior data saying that alien life contains DNA. Instead, you'd use basic chemistry techniques first. Nothing is worth "any money". We have finite budgets. Sequencers provide only marginal scientific data.