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.

an illustration of the unmodified and modified AsCas12f enzymes

CRISPR

New CRISPR system is 66% smaller but just as powerful

A new CRISPR system is just as efficient as CRISPR-Cas9 but much smaller, which could make it easier to deploy in people.

Kristin Houser

A person is holding the sensor for health monitoring near a pair of earbuds

Wearables

These earbuds analyze brain activity and sweat content

A flexible sensor turns a pair of earbuds into a health monitoring device capable of recording brain activity and analyzing sweat.

Kristin Houser

A man in a space suit sitting in a chair gives a thumbs up

Aerospace

T-Minus Weekly: An astronaut’s return, a Martian dust devil, and more

Freethink's weekly countdown of the biggest developments in space, featuring the return of NASA's Frank Rubio, a dust devil on Mars, and more.

Kristin Houser

An artist's impression of the planet Halla orbiting a red giant

Astronomy

“Forbidden planet” is orbiting a star that should have destroyed it

About 520 light-years from Earth, the planet Halla is orbiting a red giant that should have already engulfed and destroyed it.

Kristin Houser

images of the new astronomical objects in the Orion Nebula

Astronomy

Webb telescope spots strange objects in the Orion Nebula

New James Webb Space Telescope images of the Orion Nebula include more than 100 strange objects that are neither planets nor stars.

Kristin Houser

A person's finger is holding up a small yellow suction cup

Medicine

Octopus tentacle-like patch delivers drugs through your cheek

A needle-free drug delivery system inspired by octopus tentacles could one day replace injections for administering biopharmaceuticals.

Kristin Houser

a collage of an older woman's face and brain neurons

Genetics

Rare mutation may counteract “Alzheimer’s gene”

A rare mutation suggests that using CRISPR to reduce the expression of the APOE-e4 gene could help treat or prevent Alzheimer’s.

Kristin Houser

Two scientists in lab coats conducting research

CRISPR

New CRISPR tool has an “on/off” switch

By splitting a base editor into two parts, researchers could give it an “on/off” switch that appears to make it safer and more effective.

Kristin Houser

CRISPR

CRISPR is helping “de-extinct” the Tasmanian tiger

"De-extinction” researchers believe they might be able resurrect the Tasmanian tiger and restore ecological balance in Australia.

Kristin Houser

Medicine

New “multipronged” gene therapy reverses paralysis in mice

A new gene therapy that guides nerve regeneration across complete spinal cord injuries restored the ability to walk in paralyzed mice.

Kristin Houser