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.

Agriculture

Microfarm startup brings fresh produce to food desert

California startup Crop Swap LA has planted a “microfarm” in an LA resident’s front yard and is now distributing the crops throughout the local community.

Kristin Houser

Aerospace

Fridge for astronaut food aces first flight tests

Purdue University engineers have designed a fridge for astronaut food that could double its shelf life, potentially overcoming a barrier to longer missions.

Kristin Houser

Clean Energy

New nuclear fusion test overcomes “exhaust problem”

The UK’s MAST Upgrade nuclear fusion experiment appears to have solved the “exhaust problem,” a major hurdle to harnessing fusion power on Earth.

Kristin Houser

Animals

Birds, frogs, and reptiles use sound to “program” embryos

Sound appears to play a larger role in animal development than previously thought, affecting how a variety of species prepare for life outside the womb or egg.

Kristin Houser

Neuroscience

Will human augmentation move too fast for our brains?

To show how human augmentation can affect the brain, participants in a new study underwent fMRIs after learning to use a prosthetic called the "Third Thumb."

Kristin Houser

Coronavirus

One-minute COVID-19 breath test authorized in Singapore

Singapore has provisionally authorized a COVID-19 breath test that measures VOCs to deliver accurate results in just one minute.

Kristin Houser

Fertility

"Defective" embryos can actually self-correct in the womb

PGT-A, a genetic test used to screen embryos for aneuploidy prior to in vitro fertilization, appears to be excluding many viable options.

Kristin Houser

Coronavirus

Inhaled CRISPR treatment tackles COVID-19, flu

An inhaled CRISPR treatment can be easily tweaked to attack a variety of viruses, from the one that causes the flu to the coronavirus behind COVID-19.

Kristin Houser

Biology

Human lifespan may have a hard limit: 150 years

The human lifespan is limited to 150 years, according to a new longevity study focused on the body’s ability to bounce back from stressful events.

Kristin Houser

Startups

10-minute grocery delivery service to debut in U.S.

German grocery delivery startup Gorillas, which delivers orders within 10 minutes, is bringing its ultra-fast operation to the U.S.

Kristin Houser