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.

Coronavirus

What we know about COVID-19 reinfection so far

Researchers have reported four cases of COVID-19 reinfection, with patients recovering from the coronavirus and later testing positive for another strain.

Kristin Houser

Clean Energy

Mini nuclear reactors take big step forward in the US

NuScale Power’s small modular reactors generate less energy than full-sized nuclear reactors, but they might also be cheaper and safer.

Kristin Houser

Drones

Amazon drone delivery gets approval to launch from FAA

Prime Air, Amazon’s drone delivery service, has secured a key FAA certification, clearing it for the next phase of testing in the U.S.

Kristin Houser

Coronavirus

Robots are running COVID-19 drug development

IBM’s new online platform, RoboRXN, combines artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and robotics to automate the COVID-19 drug development process.

Kristin Houser

Coronavirus

A patient’s sex may affect their COVID-19 immune response

Key differences in the COVID-19 immune response of men and women could potentially explain a disparity in patient outcomes.

Kristin Houser

3D Printing

3D printed homes could soon be made out of dirt

By transforming soil into a construction material for 3D printed homes and other structures, researchers hope to slash concrete's environmental impact.

Kristin Houser

Education

Google announces cheaper alternatives to college degrees

Google’s new certificate program provides alternatives to college degrees that are cheaper to obtain, but potentially worth the same in the job market.

Kristin Houser

Astronomy

Did life on Earth travel here from Mars?

Bacteria that survived on the outside of the ISS for three years suggests that panspermia is still a viable theory for the origin of life on Earth.

Kristin Houser

Neuroscience

Elon Musk: Neuralink brain implant detects pigs' movements

During a livestream, CEO Elon Musk presented the latest Neuralink brain implant, as well as what he claimed were several pig recipients of the device.

Kristin Houser

Mental Health

Teens create website to combat social isolation in seniors

To help combat the problem of social isolation, three Texas teens created Big & Mini, a website that sets up video chats between seniors and younger people.

Kristin Houser