Contributor

Kristin Houser

Staff Writer

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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.

This insect swiped a gene from plants to help itself survive

A plant gene has been discovered in whiteflies, marking the first known example of horizontal gene transfer of a functional gene between plants and insects.

Kristin Houser

AI uses sound waves to read the minds of monkeys

Functional ultrasound tech can be used to map the brain activity of monkeys, suggesting it might be useful for future brain-machine interfaces.

Kristin Houser

“Zombie” cells grow in the brain after death

After death, gene expression increases in the brain’s glial cells — and those “zombie” cells could affect how we study neurological disorders.

Kristin Houser

IBM’s AI debater could help you make better decisions

IBM’s Project Debater is trained to quickly craft well-researched arguments — and the AI debater could one day improve your decision making.

Kristin Houser

David Attenborough’s AR app puts dinos in your living room

The film David Attenborough’s Natural History Museum Alive now has a companion AR app that brings three extinct creatures to life in your home.

Kristin Houser

Stunning “agar art” grows pictures with bacteria and fungi

Agar art lets scientists tap into their creative sides by growing microbes into beautiful bioart scenes in petri dishes.

Kristin Houser

It's now possible to diagnose concussions with saliva

Saliva was used to diagnose concussions with 94% accuracy, suggesting that an objective concussion test may finally be within reach.

Kristin Houser

The golden box that could create oxygen on Mars

MOXIE, an instrument designed to create oxygen on Mars from carbon dioxide, is now ready for testing on the Red Planet.

Kristin Houser

New black hole image reveals swirling magnetic fields

A new black hole image depicts one of the supermassive objects in polarized light, making it possible to see its magnetic field lines.

Kristin Houser

DoorDash is now offering COVID-19 test delivery

DoorDash is now offering COVID-19 test delivery in 12 cities, bringing at-home COVID-19 test kits to people the same day they’re ordered.

Kristin Houser