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.

Fireflies may use “musical armor” to keep bats at bay

Fireflies’ primary aposematic signal that they’re poisonous may not be visible to bats, so the bugs appear to have a second, sound-based warning sign.

Kristin Houser

Spinach skeleton becomes base for lab-grown meat

After spinach leaves were stripped of their plant cells, the skeletons were used as a scaffold for lab-grown meat.

Kristin Houser

These movers fight food insecurity one home at a time

The nonprofit Move for Hunger works with local moving companies to collect and donate food people would normally throw away during a move.

Kristin Houser

Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine 100% effective in adolescent study

Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine was reportedly 100% effective in a trial involving more than 2,000 adolescents between the ages of 12 and 15.

Kristin Houser

Medicine

New cancer treatment uses “hot blood cells” to target tumors

A new cancer treatment combining immunotherapy, photothermal therapy, and modified blood cells was highly effective in mice.

Kristin Houser

This “hamster ball” robot could explore lunar caves

The spherical Daedalus robot may explore lunar caves during future ESA moon missions, looking for places that could potentially host human settlements.

Kristin Houser

“Saylists” use song lyrics to help kids with speech disorders

Apple Music’s new “Saylists” contain songs with lyrics designed to help kids overcome speech disorders in an entertaining way.

Kristin Houser

Space bacteria could help astronauts grow plants on Mars

A brand new species of bacteria has been discovered on the International Space Station — and it could one day help astronauts grow plants on Mars.

Kristin Houser

Singapore’s solar concentrator funnels daylight underground

This compact solar concentrator could be the perfect daylight harvesting device for Singapore’s underground spaces.

Kristin Houser

Wireless brain-computer interface moves out of the lab

A new wireless brain-computer interface was able to record and transmit brain signals as effectively as the “gold standard” wired systems.

Kristin Houser