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.

Aerospace

Virgin Galactic gets greenlight to fly space tourists

Virgin Galactic is the first spaceline to get the Federal Aviation Administration's approval to fly space tourists — a huge milestone in space tourism.

Kristin Houser

CRISPR

Astronauts use CRISPR in space for first time

A first-of-its-kind experiment using CRISPR in space could help protect astronauts from DNA damage on long trips beyond Earth’s atmosphere.

Kristin Houser

Astronomy

New evidence discovered of underground water on Mars

Either underground water on Mars is far more prevalent than previously thought or something we can explain is going on beneath the Red Planet’s surface.

Kristin Houser

Astronomy

Black holes caught eating neutron stars for first time

Using gravitational waves, astronomers have observed collisions between black holes and neutron stars for the first time.

Kristin Houser

CRISPR

CRISPR therapy cures first genetic disorder inside the body

For the first time, researchers appear to have effectively cured a genetic disorder by directly injecting a CRISPR therapy into patients’ bloodstreams.

Kristin Houser

Drones

New search and rescue drone listens for human screams

To help first responders find people during disasters, researchers are training a search and rescue drone to listen for human screams.

Kristin Houser

Disaster Response

Throwable rescue robots sent to help at collapsed building

Teledyne Flir has sent at least two of its rescue robots to help hunt for survivors in a collapsed building in Florida.

Kristin Houser

Astronomy

Chunks of Venus’ crust float like icebergs on its mantle

New evidence of tectonic activity on Venus expands our understanding of the hellish planet and offers a window into Earth’s own geological past.

Kristin Houser

Surgery

Kidney donation vouchers shave years off wait times

Kidney donation vouchers appear to be working as hoped, increasing the number of donations and decreasing wait times for needed organs.

Kristin Houser

Neuroscience

These mind-reading helmets could be a Fitbit for your brain

Kernel has developed two mind-reading helmets that record the same brain activity data as massive, million-dollar machines, but cost just $100,000.

Kristin Houser