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.

Robotics

Stanford’s ankle exoskeleton lets you walk 40% faster

An ankle exoskeleton that significantly increases self-selected walking speed could make it easier for older people to get around.

Kristin Houser

Can we stop “deepfake geography”?

To highlight the problem of “deepfake geography,” University of Washington researchers built AIs to create and detect the fake satellite images.

Kristin Houser

Coronavirus

Would you spray this DIY COVID-19 vaccine up your nose?

Makers of a DIY COVID-19 vaccine are talking to governments about launching human challenge trials to quickly and cheaply find out if the vaccine is effective.

Kristin Houser

Neuroscience

FDA authorizes mind-controlled exoskeleton for stroke rehab

Neurolutions’ IpsiHand — a brain-computer interface that uses an exoskeleton to assist with stroke rehab — has been authorized by the FDA.

Kristin Houser

Outer Space

More than 5,000 tons of space dust hit Earth every year

We now know about how much space dust — micrometeorites that may have seeded Earth with the ingredients for life — hits the planet every year.

Kristin Houser

Volunteers

Volunteers in isolation experiment leave cave after 40 days

Volunteers spent more than a month living in a cave without any way to tell time as part of an isolation experiment called “Deep Time.”

Kristin Houser

AI helps people in war zones get their voices heard by leaders

The United Nations is using an AI tool to survey people living in war zones, giving them a voice during peacekeeping operations.

Kristin Houser

Back-poking robot triggers presence hallucinations

A back-poking robot can trigger presence hallucinations in people with Parkinson’s disease, giving researchers a way to finally study the phenomenon.

Kristin Houser

Is NASA ready for an asteroid impact?

NASA is staging a week-long asteroid impact simulation during which participants will need to respond to a hypothetical impact scenario.

Kristin Houser

Chinese Space Station is ready for launch — in pieces

Construction is finally beginning on the Chinese Space Station, with its core module — Tianhe — expected to lift off in April 2021.

Kristin Houser