Contributor

Kristin Houser

Staff Writer

Contact

kristin.houser@freethink.com

Kristin Houser is a staff writer at Freethink, where she covers science and tech. Her written work has appeared in Business Insider, NBC News, and the World Economic Forum’s Agenda, among other publications, and Stephen Colbert once talked about a piece on The Late Show, to her delight.

Prior to joining Freethink, Kristin was a staff writer for Futurism and wrote several animated and live action web series.

App helps families know what to do when someone dies

The Empathy app is designed to help grieving families know what to do when someone dies and then actually guide them through the tasks, step by step.

Kristin Houser

Human hair makes perovskite solar cells more efficient

Perovskite solar cells featuring a layer of carbon nanodots made from human hair were more efficient and stable than those without the dots.

Kristin Houser

Artificial photosynthesis machine improves itself over time

An artificial photosynthesis device that gets more efficient with time could finally allow us to harness solar energy for uses beyond electricity.

Kristin Houser

New oral insulin tech replaces needles with nanoparticles

If the success of a new oral insulin delivery system in rats translates to people, it could entice more diabetics to pursue insulin therapy.

Kristin Houser

Game triggers auditory hallucinations in mice and people

An experimental game that triggers auditory hallucinations in both mice and humans could lead to new treatments for schizophrenia.

Kristin Houser

Can Hall thruster tech cut the cost of space exploration?

The spacecraft NASA is sending to study the Psyche asteroid will be powered by Hall thruster technology — marking its first use for deep space exploration.

Kristin Houser

Will the next space station be made of fabric?

NASA is considering an inflatable space habitat designed by Sierra Nevada Corporation as a potential space station of the future.

Kristin Houser

Injectable “glue” helps heal traumatic brain injury in rats

By injecting a “brain glue” into rats, researchers were able to speed up their recovery after a traumatic brain injury.

Kristin Houser

Robot dog helps military students “survive” combat training

A military school recently used Spot, a robot dog developed by Boston Dynamics, during combat training exercises.

Kristin Houser

Fireflies may use “musical armor” to keep bats at bay

Fireflies’ primary aposematic signal that they’re poisonous may not be visible to bats, so the bugs appear to have a second, sound-based warning sign.

Kristin Houser