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.

Coronavirus

Tobacco-based COVID-19 vaccine moves to human trials

British American Tobacco has FDA approval to begin human trials on a tobacco-based COVID-19 vaccine that could potentially be stored at room temperature.

Kristin Houser

Genetics

Genetically modified pigs get green light from FDA

The FDA has approved Revivicor’s genetically engineered GalSafe pigs for use as food or medical products — a first for genetically modified animals.

Kristin Houser

Oceans

A massive iceberg is about to crash into an island of penguins

A massive iceberg is expected to hit South Georgia Island. To assess the impact of the collision, researchers are deploying a pair of robot submarines.

Kristin Houser

Coronavirus

Your questions about the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine answered

If you have questions about the COVID-19 vaccine approved for use in the U.S., this is your place to find answers.

Kristin Houser

Genetics

Genetically engineered tomato can grow drug to treat Parkinson’s

The latest biopharmaceutical is a drug for Parkinson’s disease, Levodopa, produced by genetically modified tomato plants.

Kristin Houser

Robotics

Robot dogs are being deployed at a US military base

Four robot dogs are heading to a Florida Air Force base to serve as security patrol, marking the U.S. military’s first full-time deployment of a robot dog.

Kristin Houser

Climate Crisis

Making it rain with “cloud seeding”

China is using cloud seeding to create rain where and when it’s needed. Will it try to use geoengineering to combat climate change next?

Kristin Houser

Coronavirus

FDA authorizes first over-the-counter COVID-19 test

The FDA has authorized the first over-the-counter COVID-19 test for home use, but buyers still have to send their samples to a lab for processing.

Kristin Houser

Aerospace

SpaceX’s Starship exploded, but the flight was a success

During a test flight, a SpaceX Starship rocket prototype soared to a record height of eight miles, completed a successful “belly flop” — and then crashed.

Kristin Houser

Heads up display lets firefighters see through smoke

Qwake Technologies’ C-Thru is a heads up display that combines AI, augmented reality, and thermal imaging to help firefighters battle blazes.

Kristin Houser