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Kristin Houser

Staff Writer

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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.

AI helps scientists discover powerful new antibiotic

Using a computer model powered by artificial intelligence, researchers at MIT have identified several promising candidates for powerful new antibiotics.

By Kristin Houser

$100 genome sequencing has finally arrived

China-based genome sequencing company MGI says it can sequence a human genome for just $100, a cost that could make the service available to all.

By Kristin Houser

Cancer survivor gives birth thanks to a new fertility procedure

A French cancer survivor is the first person to give birth via a fertility treatment that involves freezing and thawing eggs that underwent in vitro maturation.

By Kristin Houser

New PTSD therapy dulls the sting of painful memories

A Canadian researcher’s reconsolidation therapy is helping people overcome PTSD by allowing them to edit painful memories to be less emotionally impactful.

By Kristin Houser

Scientists engineered “cyborg grasshoppers” to sniff out bombs

By implanting electrodes into the brains of grasshoppers, scientists were able to harness the insects’ sense of smell for the purpose of explosive detection.

By Kristin Houser

Biohacker’s prosthetic arm lets him play a synthesizer with his mind

Biohacker Bertolt Meyer has built the SynLimb, a controller that attaches to his prosthetic arm, allowing him to control his modular synthesizer with his mind.

By Kristin Houser

China is responding to the coronavirus in a way only China could

China is using its vast surveillance network and near-total control over citizens to respond to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak in a way perhaps no other nation could.

By Kristin Houser

Want to visit the moon? NASA is accepting astronaut applications

NASA has announced plans to begin accepting applications for its next class of Astronaut Candidates, some of whom may go on to visit the moon or even Mars.

By Kristin Houser

Experts unveil “breakthrough” map of key coronavirus protein

Scientists have created the first atomic-scale 3D map of 2019-nCoV’s spike protein, the part of the coronavirus that infiltrates human cells.

By Kristin Houser

We’re one step closer to a super-secure quantum internet

Scientists have successfully entangled photons across a 52-mile-long quantum loop in Chicago, a major milestone along the path to a quantum Internet.

By Kristin Houser