Contributor

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.

a close up of astrocytes, shown as red streaks, in the brains of mice

Neuroscience

Scientists discover a new kind of brain cell

A newly discovered brain cell that appears to be a hybrid of the two other primary types could shake up the world of neuroscience.

Kristin Houser

Addiction

New trials will test the ability of GLP-1 agonists, a popular class of weight-loss drugs, to help people beat addictions to drugs and alcohol.

Kristin Houser

Medicine

At least 5 people have been cured of HIV. Is the AIDS pandemic ending?

A handful of people have already been functionally cured of HIV — and new, universal cures are just on the horizon.

Kristin Houser

Medicine

New treatment slashes obesity in mice eating fatty, sugary diet

A new obesity treatment developed at UMass triggered weight loss in mice even as they continued to eat a diet high in fat and sugar.

Kristin Houser

an image of neurons next to a stylized image of the surface of the brain

Neuroscience

Transplants of lab-grown brain cells reduce Parkinson’s symptoms

Transplants of lab-grown dopamine neurons reduced the amount of time people experienced Parkinson’s symptoms in a small trial.

Kristin Houser

A man in a lab holding a beige, rectangular container with tubes extending from it

Medicine

Artificial kidney aces test in pigs

An artificial kidney prototype just aced a pig trial, bringing it closer to human trials — and a step closer to ending the need for dialysis.

Kristin Houser

An artist's rendering of a space station equipped with a bag for capturing space trash

Aerospace

NASA is spending $850,000 to make a bag for space trash

TransAstra has secured a $850,000 NASA contract to build an inflatable bag for capturing space trash, which could then be recycled in orbit.

Kristin Houser

an image of a heart. The background is a microscope image of cells.

Medicine

Potential heart attack treatment discovered in human placentas

Placental cells known to home in on and repair damaged heart cells in mice have been discovered in humans, too.

Kristin Houser

A tan box with a black hose attached to it

Military

The US military just got its hands on a mini laser weapon

Laser weapons could shape the future of warfare — and the US military just got a “mini” version of the tech.

Kristin Houser

A man in a lab holding a smart contact lens in front of the camera

Batteries

New battery charged by tears will power smart contact lenses

An ultra-thin, flexible battery could lead to safe, comfortable smart contact lenses partially powered by our tears.

Kristin Houser