Contributor

Kristin Houser

Staff Writer

Contact

[email protected]

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.

CRISPR

New AI generates CRISPR proteins unlike any seen in nature

An AI that generates CRISPR proteins is opening the door to gene editors with capabilities beyond what we’ve found in nature.

Kristin Houser

A diamond held securely by tweezers against a dark background

Engineering

Synthetic diamonds may have just gotten way easier to make

Scientists in South Korea have developed a new technique for creating synthetic diamonds that works under ambient pressure.

Kristin Houser

A high-tech setup with robotic arms and cameras digitally scanning the Herculaneum scrolls in a library.

“Bionic eye” discovers Plato’s final resting place

Plato’s final resting place has been identified thanks to a “bionic eye” built to read the Herculaneum scrolls.

Kristin Houser

Brain

What hybrid mouse/rat brains are showing us about the mind

Modified mice with hybrid brains that include rat neurons could one day lead to new breakthroughs in neuroscience.

Kristin Houser

A futuristic armored tank with caterpillar tracks navigating through a grassy field

Military

DARPA is testing this autonomous tank with glowing “eyes”

DARPA just tested an autonomous tank that could help keep soldiers safe — and even more self-driving military vehicles are on the horizon.

Kristin Houser

white pills being poured from a milk container over a black background

Medicine

Milk could overcome one of the biggest hurdles to RNA therapies

RNA therapies typically break down if administered orally, but particles found in cows’ milk could provide perfect protection.

Kristin Houser

Astronomy

T-Minus: Psyche phones home, NASA sets sail, and more

Freethink counts down the biggest space news, featuring a new kind of space communication, lots of orbital debris, and more.

Kristin Houser

A surgeon in scrubs and a headlamp performs a gene-edited pig kidney transplant, assisted by another healthcare professional, under bright surgical lights.

Surgery

First-of-its-kind pig kidney transplant is a success

A woman with heart and kidney failure is now the second person in the world to undergo a gene-edited pig kidney transplant.

Kristin Houser

Fluorescent microscopy image showing cells in blue and green

Cancer

New study challenges long-held assumption about cancer

Genetic mutations may not be necessary for cancer to develop, challenging a long-held assumption about the disease.

Kristin Houser

Robotics

Meet the humanoids: 8 robots ready to revolutionize work

Everything you need to know about the humanoids that will soon enter the workforce — or are in it already.

Kristin Houser