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.

Sustainability

You can repair this sustainable phone yourself

Fairphone’s sustainable phone is easy to repair and contains ethically sourced materials — two major departures from the industry standard.

Kristin Houser

Fashion

Nike is betting you'll want to wear Air Jordans in the metaverse

Nike is laying the groundwork to begin selling digital goods in the metaverse, joining what could soon be a multibillion dollar economy.

Kristin Houser

Coronavirus

Pfizer’s antiviral pill cuts COVID-19 hospitalization, death by 89%

Pfizer’s antiviral pill to treat COVID-19 cut the risk of hospitalization or death by 89%, according to early results from a phase 2/3 trial.

Kristin Houser

Big Tech

Data centers need to be greener — Microsoft is leading the way

Microsoft’s plan for sustainable data centers includes more renewable energy, better temperature control, and new construction materials.

Kristin Houser

Transportation

Superchargers are no longer just for Teslas

Non-Tesla EVs can now use a select number of Tesla Superchargers — and the goal is to expand that access to the entire Supercharger network.

Kristin Houser

Food

McDonald’s McPlant takes plant-based meat mainstream

McDonald’s McPlant, a burger with a plant-based meat patty, is now available at select locations in the U.S. for a limited time.

Kristin Houser

Archaeology

Lasers reveal hundreds of Mayan and Olmec ceremonial centers

Archaeologists are hunting for — and finding — previously hidden ancient structures in lidar data collected by planes and drones.

Kristin Houser

Surgery

Tissue implant extends lives of children born with athymia

A treatment that could dramatically extend the lives of children born with the rare condition athymia has been approved by the FDA.

Kristin Houser

3D Printing

ICON to build world’s largest community of 3D-printed houses

Startup ICON is building the world’s largest community of 3D-printed houses — a move that could help bring the homes to the mainstream.

Kristin Houser

Cars

Autonomous race cars compete for $1 million prize

Autonomous race cars sped around a world-famous track in pursuit of a $1 million prize during the Indy Autonomous Challenge.

Kristin Houser