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.

an illustration of a stethoscope filled with computer code on a colorful background

New “AI doctor” predicts risk of death with 85% accuracy

A new AI was able to make accurate predictions about patients’ risk of death, readmittance, and more by analyzing medical notes.

Kristin Houser

a hand holding a film-like brain implant

Neuroscience

Flexible brain implant tested in people for the first time

Startup Precision Neuroscience has tested its flexible, ultra-thin brain implants in people for the first time.

Kristin Houser

a colorful MRI scan of a brain with a background of stars

Aerospace

Visiting space likely won’t cause permanent brain damage, says NASA study

Spending months in space has a major impact on astronauts’ brains, but three years back on Earth appears to reverse the change.

Kristin Houser

an illustration of a person looking at a baby growing in an artificial womb

Biology

Scientists are growing animals in artificial wombs. Humans might be next.

Artificial wombs promise to give people a way to have biological children without putting their own health at risk.

Kristin Houser

rows of black rock with the gloved hands of a scientist in the background

Planet Earth

Record-breaking amount of Earth’s mantle drilled out of ocean floor

Scientists aboard the JOIDES Resolution have retrieved “a staggering” amount of mantle rock from below the ocean floor.

Kristin Houser

a diseased human liver on a colorful background

Medicine

New drug for fatty liver disease cuts fat by 65%

A new NASH treatment, efruxifermin, significantly reduced liver fat when combined with a GLP-1 drug in a small trial.

Kristin Houser

Medicine

Lung cancer drug slashes patients’ risk of death by 51%

Osimertinib, an FDA-approved lung cancer drug, slashes the risk of death for certain patients by 51%, according to new trial results.

Kristin Houser

two macbooks and a mac pro on a colorful background

Big Tech

Apple Vision Pro wasn’t the only major announcement at WWDC23

On Day 1 of WWDC23, Apple announced three new Macs, several new operating systems, and the world’s most powerful personal computer chip.

Kristin Houser

Biology

Sound waves can trigger torpor-like state in mice and rats

Ultrasound stimulation triggers a torpor-like state in animals, suggesting a noninvasive way to put people into the state.

Kristin Houser

an illustration of a black hole. a black circle is surrounded by a spiral of red and orange

Astronomy

New NASA video shows just how big black holes really are

A new NASA animation puts the size of 10 supermassive black holes into perspective by comparing them to our solar system.

Kristin Houser