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

Lab-grown wood is taking shape at MIT

A newly demonstrated technique for making lab-grown wood could overcome several shortcomings of traditional logging, if it's scalable.

Kristin Houser

First AR-assisted knee replacement in America is a success

The United States’ first AR-assisted knee replacement surgery was a success, marking another milestone for the use of AR in healthcare.

Kristin Houser

Robotics

Sophia the Robot will be mass-produced this year

Hanson Robotics is going to begin mass-producing Sophia the robot in 2021, making the social robot available to help combat the pandemic.

Kristin Houser

Coronavirus

Moderna COVID-19 vaccine booster targets mutant strain

Moderna is trialing a COVID-19 vaccine booster designed to increase protection against a South African strain of the coronavirus.

Kristin Houser

Healthcare

Total artificial heart approved for sale in Europe

The European Commission has approved the sale of Carmat’s total artificial heart, which is designed for patients with end-stage heart failure.

Kristin Houser

Medicine

Personalized skin cancer vaccine is made from tumor cells

A personalized skin cancer vaccine developed from melanoma survivors’ own tumor cells has shown promise in a small trial.

Kristin Houser

Animals

Can science save the northern white rhino?

The northern white rhino species is down to just two members, both female. Can science bring it back from the brink of extinction?

Kristin Houser

Astronomy

An AI has discovered new craters on Mars

An AI trained to spot signs of fresh craters on Mars in photos of the Martian surface has already discovered dozens of new impacts.

Kristin Houser

3D Printing

Doctors use AR surgery to implant 3D-printed eye socket

Doctors in Israel used a combination of AR surgery and 3D printing to repair a patient’s damaged eye socket quickly and efficiently.

Kristin Houser

AI makes nearly 100% accurate cancer diagnosis from urine

A new AI-based technique can make a nearly 100% accurate prostate cancer diagnosis from a urine sample, potentially saving patients from unneeded biopsies.

Kristin Houser