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.

a colorful representation of a digestive tract with bacteria in it

Medicine

The first fecal transplant pill is heading to pharmacies

The FDA approval of the first fecal transplant pill could kick off an era in which we target the gut microbiome to treat many other diseases.

Kristin Houser

a robot hand comprising five fingers attached to a pentagon-shaped base. the fingers are holding an L-shaped block

Robotics

“Blind” robot hand can operate solely by touch

Columbia University’s new robot hand can deftly manipulate objects without seeing them, allowing it to work in complete darkness.

Kristin Houser

a seated older woman looking up toward a healthcare worker

Medicine

New Alzheimer’s drug slows cognitive decline by 35%

Eli Lilly’s new Alzheimer’s drug, donanemab, slowed cognitive decline by 35% in a phase 3 trial, but two people died from side effects.

Kristin Houser

a close up on the side of a woman's face while she sleeps. in her ear is a small device

Wearables

Earbud-like tech will monitor sleep for signs of Parkinson’s

An EEG device that’s worn in the ear during sleep could help doctors diagnose Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s long before symptoms appear.

Kristin Houser

an iwatch with a yellow band on a pattern of pink dumbbells

Insiders say Apple is building an “AI health coach”

Tech giant Apple is developing an app with an AI health coach to help you live a healthier lifestyle, according to a Bloomberg report.

Kristin Houser

Medicine

Gene therapy reverses vision loss in primates — by making their eyes young again

A Harvard study found that a new gene therapy that reprograms cells to their younger state can reverse NAION-caused vision loss in primates.

Kristin Houser

a large machine driving long steel beams deep into the ground

Robotics

Massive autonomous robot is 3 to 5 times faster than a human construction crew

Built Robotics has unveiled an autonomous construction robot that speeds up the installation of utility-scale solar farms.

Kristin Houser

a grey, lumpy moon in front of the red surface of Mars

Astronomy

See Mars’ mysterious moon Deimos from just 68 miles away

The UAE’s high-resolution images of Mars’ moon Deimos suggest that the tiny satellite isn’t what we thought it was.

Kristin Houser

a close up of a piece of white fish on a plate with vegetables and chopsticks

Food

Startups serve “world’s first” lab-grown fish filets

The world’s first lab-grown fish filets are able to match the texture of real fish thanks to 3D printing technology.

Kristin Houser

Mental Health

Scientists discover “anxiety gene” in the brain — and a natural way to turn it off

The discovery of an "anxiety gene" — and a natural way to put the brakes on it — in mice could lead to new treatments for anxiety disorders.

Kristin Houser