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.

CRISPR

CRISPR scientists win Nobel Prize in chemistry

For the first time, the Nobel Prize in chemistry has gone to two women: CRISPR scientists Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna.

Kristin Houser

Disaster Response

Getting disaster relief to the people who need it most

Delphi analyzes property damage and poverty levels to identify the people most in need of disaster relief, helping organizations maximize their impact.

Kristin Houser

Biology

Common mouth microbe appears to trigger cancer metastasis

Scientists are finally starting to understand the connection between the common oral microbe fusobacterium and colon cancer metastasis.

Kristin Houser

Robotics

Toyota unveils Spiderman-like home cleaning robot

Toyota built a cleaning robot that descends from a kitchen's ceiling as an example of the kind of tech that might one day support Earth’s aging population.

Kristin Houser

New VR movie lets you play god to a planet of AIs

In the new VR movie “Agence,” artificially intelligent characters respond to the actions of the viewer in unpredictable ways.

Kristin Houser

Democracy

You can now track your mail-in ballot like an Amazon package

At least 46 states now offer free ballot tracking, letting voters follow their mail-in ballots from the printer to the election office.

Kristin Houser

Coronavirus

Coronavirus nasal spray vaccine nears human trials

A nasal spray vaccine for COVID-19 that contains a live coronavirus genetically engineered to replicate more slowly is nearing human trials.

Kristin Houser

Disaster Response

Starlink satellites bring internet to wildfire-ravaged state

SpaceX’s Starlink satellites are providing residents and emergency responders affected by Washington wildfires with access to reliable internet.

Kristin Houser

Virology

Super bright X-ray lets doctors see the atoms inside viruses

The x-ray beams produced by the Extremely Brilliant Source, a new synchrotron, are so bright, they can be used to create images with atomic-level detail.

Kristin Houser

Neuroscience

Help scientists figure out whether brain training apps work

To figure out how people might benefit from brain training apps, researchers are looking for 30,000 volunteers willing to play brain games science.

Kristin Houser