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.

Clean Energy

New nuclear fusion test overcomes “exhaust problem”

The UK’s MAST Upgrade nuclear fusion experiment appears to have solved the “exhaust problem,” a major hurdle to harnessing fusion power on Earth.

Kristin Houser

Animals

Birds, frogs, and reptiles use sound to “program” embryos

Sound appears to play a larger role in animal development than previously thought, affecting how a variety of species prepare for life outside the womb or egg.

Kristin Houser

Neuroscience

Will human augmentation move too fast for our brains?

To show how human augmentation can affect the brain, participants in a new study underwent fMRIs after learning to use a prosthetic called the "Third Thumb."

Kristin Houser

Coronavirus

One-minute COVID-19 breath test authorized in Singapore

Singapore has provisionally authorized a COVID-19 breath test that measures VOCs to deliver accurate results in just one minute.

Kristin Houser

Fertility

"Defective" embryos can actually self-correct in the womb

PGT-A, a genetic test used to screen embryos for aneuploidy prior to in vitro fertilization, appears to be excluding many viable options.

Kristin Houser

Coronavirus

Inhaled CRISPR treatment tackles COVID-19, flu

An inhaled CRISPR treatment can be easily tweaked to attack a variety of viruses, from the one that causes the flu to the coronavirus behind COVID-19.

Kristin Houser

Biology

Human lifespan may have a hard limit: 150 years

The human lifespan is limited to 150 years, according to a new longevity study focused on the body’s ability to bounce back from stressful events.

Kristin Houser

Startups

10-minute grocery delivery service to debut in U.S.

German grocery delivery startup Gorillas, which delivers orders within 10 minutes, is bringing its ultra-fast operation to the U.S.

Kristin Houser

Coronavirus

Ohio announces $1M vaccine lottery, shots surge 33%

Ohio’s vaccine lottery, which will give five vaccinated residents $1 million each, appears to have sparked the desired increase in new vaccinations.

Kristin Houser

Entertainment

Discovery Channel is looking for wannabe astronauts

The winner of Discovery Channel’s new astronaut competition series, “Who Wants To Be an Astronaut?” will spend eight days aboard the ISS.

Kristin Houser