Contributor

Kristin Houser

Staff Writer

Contact

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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.

Astronomy

Chunks of Venus’ crust float like icebergs on its mantle

New evidence of tectonic activity on Venus expands our understanding of the hellish planet and offers a window into Earth’s own geological past.

Kristin Houser

Surgery

Kidney donation vouchers shave years off wait times

Kidney donation vouchers appear to be working as hoped, increasing the number of donations and decreasing wait times for needed organs.

Kristin Houser

Neuroscience

These mind-reading helmets could be a Fitbit for your brain

Kernel has developed two mind-reading helmets that record the same brain activity data as massive, million-dollar machines, but cost just $100,000.

Kristin Houser

Sports

Flying race car zips across the sky for the first time

The world’s first flying race car, the Airspeeder Mk3, has completed its maiden flight and is on track to compete in a first-of-its-kind racing series later in 2021.

Kristin Houser

Planet Earth

E. coli turns plastic waste into vanillin

Scientists have engineered E. coli bacteria to convert plastic waste into vanillin, an in-demand compound used in vanilla flavoring and more.

Kristin Houser

Fixing Justice

It’s not enough to remove "bad apples" from police forces

Police use of force complaints would not dramatically decrease if “bad apples” were fired early in their careers, Princeton and UPenn researchers predict.

Kristin Houser

Animals

Hippos in tracking study unexpectedly contract anthrax

A study into the movement of hippos led to new research on anthrax outbreaks when some of the animals wearing GPS trackers contracted the disease.

Kristin Houser

Aerospace

You can now buy a balloon ride to the edge of space

Space tourism company Space Perspective has begun selling tickets for rides in a stratospheric balloon that can reach the edge of space.

Kristin Houser

Food

Cultured meat is now being mass-produced In Israel

Israeli startup Future Meat Technologies’ industrial-scale cultured meat production facility is designed to get lab-grown meat onto consumers’ plates ASAP.

Kristin Houser

Urban Living

Is it time for America to bring back the boarding house?

A revival of the boarding house — popular in the 1800s, banned by modern zoning — could help solve America’s affordable housing woes.

Kristin Houser