Contributor

Kristin Houser

Staff Writer

Contact

[email protected]

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

Brewery is world’s first factory fueled by iron powder

A Dutch brewery is using iron powder to generate clean energy, marking the first industrial use of iron fuel.

Kristin Houser

Robotics

This robot will put your contact lenses in for you

A man in Florida has invented a contact lens robot to insert or extract lenses for people with hand tremors or dexterity issues.

Kristin Houser

Genetics

Gene therapy shows promise as a glaucoma treatment

A new gene therapy was able to repair a damaged optic nerve in mice, suggesting it might be useful for treating glaucoma in people.

Kristin Houser

Transportation

Experimental hyperloop pod transports passengers for first time

Virgin Hyperloop has transported two passengers in a hyperloop pod, a milestone in the development of the high-speed transportation system.

Kristin Houser

Coronavirus

Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine appears 95% effective (updated)

The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine appears to be 95% effective at preventing coronavirus infections, according to an early analysis of a Phase 3 trial.

Kristin Houser

Mental Health

Psilocybin therapy appears to dramatically reduce depression

Psilocybin therapy — a combination of traditional therapy and supervised “trips” on the magic mushroom compound — shows promise as a depression treatment.

Kristin Houser

Coronavirus

"Autoantibodies" may be causing COVID-19 blood clots

COVID-19 blood clots may be caused by autoantibodies, which attack the body’s own tissues and organs instead of intruders.

Kristin Houser

Coronavirus

What’s going to happen with COVID-19 this winter?

There may be an increase in cases of COVID-19 this winter as people move indoors, but there are actions we can take to prevent it.

Kristin Houser

Oceans

Mapping the ocean floor with an underwater "GPS"

MIT researchers have developed an underwater, sound-based navigation system that could make it possible to map the entire ocean floor.

Kristin Houser

Biology

Earwax gives doctors easy access to cortisol levels

The Trears device could make it easier for doctors to monitor cortisol levels by allowing patients to extract their own earwax samples for analysis.

Kristin Houser