Contributor

Kristin Houser

Staff Writer

Contact

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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.

A white and black vertical takeoff aircraft, marked "N302AX," flies against a clear blue sky with multiple propellers visible.

Transportation

Flying cars are almost here — but who will actually fly them?

Air taxi services could launch soon, but only if regulators and developers can make operating eVTOLs appealing to prospective pilots.

Kristin Houser

A 3D representation of a protein structure is shown in purple on a black background with various helices, spirals, and chains.

How Google’s new AI could revolutionize medicine

Google DeepMind's AlphaFold 3 could be the future of drug discovery — and the journey to its creation started more than a century ago.

Kristin Houser

Aerospace

T-Minus: How will solar storms affect Mars astronauts?

Freethink’s breakdown of the biggest space news, featuring NASA's efforts to protect astronauts from intense solar storms.

Kristin Houser

Two robotic hands are holding a movie clapperboard against a dark, textured background with purple streaks.

Will generative AI change everything for filmmaking?

We asked an experimental filmmaker, an MIT economist, and an AI startup executive how generative AIs could impact the world of filmmaking.

Kristin Houser

An abstract image of a person flexing their bicep and poking at the underside of it with their other hand

Medicine

Revolutionary weight-loss drugs like Wegovy come with a catch

People taking GLP-1 agonists are losing too much muscle, but these drugs designed to prevent muscle loss could solve the problem.

Kristin Houser

Animated countdown ending with "T:MINUS" over a background transitioning from red to blue, evoking the spirit of Mars missions.

Aerospace

T-Minus: How to not die on (the way to) Mars

A breakdown of the five biggest threats to future Mars astronauts and what NASA scientists are doing to overcome each one.

Kristin Houser

a stylized image of a person injecting themselves with a GLP-1 agonist

Medicine

Are weight-loss meds the next wonder drugs?

Evidence is mounting that GLP-1 agonists could treat many health issues — including ones that aren’t obviously related to weight.

Kristin Houser

Aerospace

T-Minus: New SpaceX fashion, a Mars mystery, and more

Freethink counts down the biggest space news, featuring new spacesuits, a mission to the dark side of the moon, and more.

Kristin Houser

CRISPR

New AI generates CRISPR proteins unlike any seen in nature

An AI that generates CRISPR proteins is opening the door to gene editors with capabilities beyond what we’ve found in nature.

Kristin Houser

A diamond held securely by tweezers against a dark background

Engineering

Synthetic diamonds may have just gotten way easier to make

Scientists in South Korea have developed a new technique for creating synthetic diamonds that works under ambient pressure.

Kristin Houser