Feb 1, 2024 · The ability to analyze DNA, study how it is damaged and repaired in space, and make specific changes to it enables more complex research. Identifying unknown organisms and changes in known ones is key to keeping crew members safe on future missions.

1 day ago · NASA scientists found amino acids, key minerals, and nucleobases for DNA in samples from the OSIRIS-REx asteroid mission. It's a win for alien life.

2 days ago · Adenine and thymine are two of the five nucleobases that encode genetic information in DNA and RNA. Credit: NASA Goddard/OSIRIS-REx

1 day ago · Japanese scientists detected all five nucleobases — building blocks of DNA and RNA — in samples returned from asteroid Bennu by NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission. NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission brought back 121.6 grams of asteroid Bennu, unveiling nitrogen-rich organic matter, including DNA’s essential bases.

Jul 23, 2022 · Explore how this technology has evolved to where researchers can now sequence DNA aboard the International Space Station: February 1953 – Francis Crick, James Watson, and Rosalind Franklin discover the double helix structure that makes up DNA.

Nov 21, 2024 · The mystery of why life uses molecules with specific orientations has deepened with a NASA-funded discovery that RNA — a key molecule thought to have potentially held the instructions for life before DNA emerged — can favor making the building blocks of proteins in either the left-hand or the right-hand orientation.

Nov 13, 2024 · NASA Flight Engineers Suni Williams and Nick Hague continued exploring manufacturing DNA-like nanomaterials to develop therapies and treat space-caused and Earthbound conditions on Wednesday.

Feb 21, 2019 · In a research breakthrough funded by NASA, scientists have synthesized a molecular system that, like DNA, can store and transmit information. This unprecedented feat suggests there could be an alternative to DNA-based life, as we know it on Earth – a genetic system for life that may be possible on other worlds.

Jan 29, 2024 · The resulting synthetic or “alien” DNA has structures that are different from natural DNA but are still able to hold and copy genetic information. Most importantly, the platform can support molecular evolution, the fundamental feature of biology – and life.

Jun 22, 2018 · Dr. Sarah Wallace talks about her instrumental role in sequencing DNA for the very first time in space. DNA sequencing can be used for things in space from monitoring the crew members' health to identifying microbes, and potentially detecting life in the solar system.