9 PM – International Space Station, the view is breathtaking but floats a feeling of heightened anxiety among the crew. For days, the astronauts have been feeling weak, sluggish, their bodies heavy. Navigating the space ship is a battle of epic proportions. No clear diagnosis emerged from describing the crew’s symptoms to mission control medical staff in Houston. As there are very few antibiotics left on the ship, it is crucial to identify if the infection’s root is bacterial, viral or something else. If only, they had a portable genomic sequencing lab on board to run a sample analysis.

From detecting infectious agents in the agro-food business and water systems, detecting lethal microbial biofilms in hospitals, tracking epidemics in real-time even in extreme conditions, to allowing preventive personal health diagnostics at home or aboard a spaceship, the potential revolution behind decentralized genomic sequencing is breathtaking. Eleonore Pauwels, Director of Biology Collectives at the Wilson Center, explains how close this revolution is to reality.

Listen to "What If You Had the Power to Control Your Health—From the Palm of Your Hand? Eleonore Pauwels of the Wilson Institute Explains How Close Thi" on SpreakerFrom the Future Tech Podcast.