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.

Inventions

This $3,000 completely wireless TV vacuum seals to your wall

Home entertainment startup Displace has unveiled a completely wireless TV that vacuum seals to walls and is controlled by hand gestures.

Kristin Houser

Astronomy

SpaceX puts Starlink promises to astronomers in writing

SpaceX has signed an agreement with the National Science Foundation detailing its plans to minimize Starlink’s impact on astronomy.

Kristin Houser

Brain

New brain cancer treatment trialed in children for the first time

MRI-guided focused ultrasound has been used to deliver chemo into the brain of a pediatric cancer patient for the first time.

Kristin Houser

Robotics

New AI-powered farming robot covers 50 acres of crops per day

French startup Meropy has developed an agricultural robot that can autonomously inspect crops from above and below.

Kristin Houser

CRISPR

New killer CRISPR system is unlike any scientists have seen

CRISPR-Cas12a2 — a system that causes cells to self-destruct — could lead to new cancer treatments, better diagnostic tests, and more.

Kristin Houser

Biology

Lab-grown retinas move toward human trials

Lab-grown eye cells have demonstrated an ability to communicate, a huge milestone along the path to using them to reverse blindness.

Kristin Houser

Aging

A single injection of gene therapy made old mice live 7% longer

Biotech startup Rejuvenate Bio says it has extended the lives of elderly mice by 7% using a technique called “partial reprogramming.”

Kristin Houser

Microsoft’s new AI needs just 3 seconds of audio to clone a voice

Microsoft has unveiled VALL-E, a voice-cloning AI that only needs a 3-second sample to simulate a speaker’s voice with remarkable accuracy.

Kristin Houser

Medicine

FDA approves new Alzheimer’s medication

Lecanemab, a new Alzheimer’s medication shown to slow cognitive decline in patients, has been granted accelerated approval by the FDA.

Kristin Houser

3D Printing

This 3D-printed home is made entirely of bio-based materials

Maine researchers are testing a new approach to 3D printing homes, swapping out the standard concrete “ink” for a material made of wood waste.

Kristin Houser