MinION is a real-time device for DNA and RNA sequencing. Each consumable flow cell can now generate 10–20 Gb of DNA sequence data. Ultra-long read lengths are possible (hundreds of kb) as you can choose your fragment length. The MinION streams data in real time so that analysis can be performed during the experiment and workflows are fully versatile. The MinION weighs under 100 g and plugs into a PC or laptop using a high-speed USB 3.0 cable. No additional computing infrastructure is required. The MinION is being used for a number of biological analysis techniques including de novo sequencing, targeted sequencing, metagenomics, epigenetics and more. 1D library preparation can take <10 minutes. A range of preparation kits are available to support analysis of DNA, cDNA and direct RNA. Data is streamed in real time, allowing you to run the instrument until you have generated sufficient data to answer the question and then move on to the next experiment. Real-time analyses can also provide a faster sample-to-answer time. If you would like to learn more about this instrument and how it works, please visit Oxford Nanopore Technologies.