Contributor

Kristin Houser

Managing Editor

Contact

[email protected]

Kristin Houser is the Managing Editor of Freethink. Her articles on science and technology have been featured in NBC News, RealClearDefense, 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.

Kristin is currently based in Pittsburgh, and prior to joining Freethink, she was a staff writer for Futurism, launched an LA-based music blog, and wrote several animated and live action web series.

Clean Energy

Twisty nuclear fusion reactor gets twice as hot as the sun

Physicists optimized a nuclear fusion reactor to overcome a problem that causes heat loss and prevents the device from sustaining fusion.

Kristin Houser

Aerospace

Perseverance rover collects first Mars rock sample — for real

NASA’s Perseverance rover has collected its first Mars rock sample, which the agency plans to send to Earth in 2031.

Kristin Houser

Bionics

New bionic arm is incredibly close to the real thing

A new bionic arm is so intuitive, wearers think and behave like people without amputations while using it to perform everyday tasks.

Kristin Houser

Aerospace

Space radiation won’t stop missions to Mars

A new study predicts that space radiation alone wouldn’t make missions to Mars too risky for astronauts — as long as we timed them right.

Kristin Houser

Transportation

Why NASA is testing an electric flying taxi

NASA is spending two weeks listening to Joby Aviation’s flying taxi as part of a campaign to integrate eVTOL vehicles into U.S. airspace.

Kristin Houser

Coronavirus

Study: COVID-19 booster shots dramatically reduce infection risk

A large COVID-19 booster shot study in Israel found that a third dose significantly increased seniors’ protection against the coronavirus.

Kristin Houser

Genetics

Forensic scientists continue mission to identify 9/11 victims

Forensic scientists have identified two more 9/11 victims and will soon use next-generation sequencing to analyze unidentified remains.

Kristin Houser

Engineering

Rule-bending engineers protect New Orleans from Hurricane Ida

By going beyond the "100-year storm" standard for flood protection, U.S. engineers helped minimize the impact of Hurricane Ida on New Orleans.

Kristin Houser

Disaster Response

Furniture store gives Hurricane Ida victims a place to sleep

Houston furniture store owner Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale is letting Hurricane Ida victims displaced by the storm sleep in his showroom.

Kristin Houser

Oceans

Robot penguins are exploring mysterious ocean currents

In an effort to study mysterious ocean eddies, an oceanographer teamed up with a bionics company to build an AUV inspired by penguins.

Kristin Houser